Review - The Penguin (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. The Penguin is the most recent series from HBO, and is a spin-off of the 2022 Matt Reeves film The Batman

        The series focuses on Oswald "Oz" Cobb, who is portrayed once again by Colin Farrell. Oz, after the events of the movie The Batman, finds himself in a very interesting position as far as the criminal underbelly of Gotham is concerned. Carmine Falcone is dead, Sal Maroni is still locked up, and there's a power play among the major criminal factions in the city. So, Oz takes on a young protege, Vic, and works in tandem with Sofia Falcone, Carmine's daughter, to reshape the criminal underworld of Gotham. 

         Now, not only does The Penguin showcase Oz's rise to greater power, but it also showcases a similar uprising for Sofia, who spent years in Arkham after being sent there by her father. And now, with both her father and brother (Carmine's son Alberto) dead, she makes a power grab to restructure the Falcone crime family and renames it under her mother's maiden name of Gigante, and gets rid of anyone who gets in her way of taking control of her family's criminal empire. 

        The cast of this series is phenomenal. Of course, we have the return of Colin Farrell as Oz, and his performance here is much more fleshed out than the supporting role he had in The Batman. However, the series does make sure to make the audience know that Oz is not an empathetic character. He is a vile criminal through and through, and his actions are intended to be utterly deplorable. Luckily, Colin Farrell proves that he's up to the challenge and nails the role perfectly. Something really cool is that Colin Farrell isn't the only actor from The Batman to return, as we see Con O'Neill as GCPD Chief Bock, Peter McDonald as GCPD Detective Kenzie, and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, who is the current mayor-elect of Gotham. Unfortunately, the role of Carmine Falcone was recast, as John Turturro was unfortunately replaced by Mark Strong. But, Mark definitely does a good job, and gives a very nuanced performance similar to that of Frank D'Amico from the movie Kick-Ass

       As for the new players, everyone has been gushing over Cristin Miloti as Sofia. And, I agree, Cristin Miloti gave a fantastic performance as Sofia, and I was thoroughly enamored by her character arc throughout the series. Also, I really enjoyed Clancy Brown as Sal Maroni. Of course, Clancy Brown is no stranger to the DC Universe, having previously been the voice of Lex Luthor in Superman: TAS and and portraying General Eiling in The Flash series on The CW. Among the rest of the cast, I thoroughly enjoyed the likes of Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo, Rhenzy Feliz as Vic, Michael Kelly as Johnny Viti, Theo Rossi as Dr. Julian Rush, and Deidre O'Connell as Francis Cobb. 

        The writing behind the series was absolutely phenomenal. Unlike what we've been seeing from a number of Marvel shows on Disney+, there's a story and tonal consistency with The Penguin, and it genuinely feels like a proper expansion of the world established by Matt Reeves in The Batman. The overall visual look of Gotham in the series is also on point, but given just a bit more of a vibrancy and brightness due to the television budget. But, tonally and visually, this series and its portrayal of Gotham feel very much in line with The Batman, and it does work well as a natural expansion of the mythos established by the Matt Reeves film. I give full props to showrunner Lauren LeFranc and her creative team of writers and directors. I, honestly, haven't seen a comic book show this good in quite some time, and I absolutely love this series. 

       Overall, of you want to see a fantastic comic book show, a compelling crime drama, or a mix of the two, definitely check out The Penguin. It's a great series, and will really whet the appetite of those eagerly awaiting Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II. As far as all of the new series I've watched this year, I'd say my enjoyment of The Penguin just edges out Suicide Squad Isekai, but still comes in second behind Hazbin Hotel. I'm giving The Penguin a rating of 5/5. 

         Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time. 

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