DVD/TV Series Review: The Gifted Season 1

 

The Gifted is a series that is set in the X-Men universe, but in a timeline (or just at a time) in which the X-Men have disappeared and those with mutant powers are shunned by society and are required to be registered (much like the plot of the original X-Men movies), and those who are not being hunted by an anti-mutant Sentinal Services agency (which is obviously based on the concept of the Nazi SS). The first season consisted of 13 episodes that aired during the 2017-2018 TV season and was set around the Strucker family, played by Stephen Moyer (from True Blood) who plays Reed Strucker, Angel alumn Amy Acker who plays Caitlin Strucker, and their children Lauren (played by Natalie Alyn Lind) and Andy (played by Percy Hynes White). Reed is a district attorney who prosecutes mutant cases and is forced to go on the run when Lauren and Andy both manifest mutant abilities. They are eventually helped (reluctantly) by a group of mutants who avoid Sentinal Services, and the lead agent Jace Turner (played by Burn Notice's Colby Bell) and Garrett Dallahunt's character Roderick Campbell, who wants to weaponize the Strucker Children's powers. The rest of the main cast includes Jamie Chung, Blair Redford, Emma Dumont, and Sean Teale. 

The DVD set is just a standard MOD set that just has the 13 episodes spread across three discs. There are no extras or bonus features. So, unless you really prefer physical media over streaming, you don't get anything extra by getting the DVDs.

Overall, the show is very good. It definitely has ties to the X-Men movies, some subtle and some not. Of course, Bryan Singer who directed many of the movies is a producer on the show and directed the pilot, so that is not surprising. It is not entirely clear, however, if this is set in a different universe from the movies where events played out differently, or is set after the bulk of the movies but before the events of the movie Logan. In a way that is good because it means that it can tell its own story while still having some tie-ins with the overall franchise. 

The acting and writing are both very good and the cast has a good mix of recognizable, established actors and relative newcomers. The show has a serial arc that plays out throughout the season, so you cannot really just jump in partway and get everything that is going on. The season ends on a pretty major cliffhanger that leaves the fate of several characters up in the air going into season two. So, if you are a fan of the X-Men movies, then this is definitely worth checking out.

 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Deadpool

 

Deadpool is a movie that you will know where you stand about it within the first few minutes. It is a superhero movie that breaks all the superhero movie norms in that it is R-rated, is over-the-top violent, has sex in it, and the main character breaks the fourth wall constantly (because he knows that he is a comic book character). Backed by Ryan Reynolds' wit and smart Alek comments all the way through the movie (including making snarky comments about himself), the movie tells the origin story of Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool, a mercenary who's part of the X-Men universe (although it is not exactly clear which timeline he is in, which is a joke in the movie). Wilson is seeking revenge on a guy named Francis, who essentially turned him into what he is. He is joined by X-Men Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapicic), and sullen teen girl Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), who are trying to recruit Deadpool to join the X-Men. Francis is joined by Angel Dust (played by Gina Carano) who is a super-strong evil mutant.

There are essentially two storylines that run in parallel with each other during the movie. The first is Wade's origin story includes his sex-worker girlfriend Vanessa (played by Firefly and Gotham alum Morena Baccarin), and TJ Miller, as Deadpool's buddy Weasel. Miller steals many a scene he is in, which is no small feat with Deadpool throwing out zingers every couple of seconds. The second is the revenge story, which is where all of the action in the movie takes place. Of course, the storylines do intersect at the end.

For those who get the blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds wonderful in HD. The extras include two separate commentary tracks, deleted scenes, a gag reel, an image gallery, videos that were a part of the movie's promotional campaign, and the most extensive extra, an hour and twenty-minute long making-of documentary (that is split into five parts).

Overall, the movie is awesome. The jokes are great, and make fun of everything from Reynold's acting ability vs. his looks, the horrible incarnation of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (also played by Reynolds), as well as the Green Lantern movie (also starring Reynolds). It seems that everyone in the cast was having a blast and not taking themselves too seriously. It is most definitely not a family-friendly movie as there is a lot of swearing and sexual jokes. The action is great, especially the battle at the end, and the movie has no problem lampooning the superhero genre. It is definitely worth checking out.