Armageddon It... "The Umbrella Academy"

The Umbrella Academy (2019)

TV-14

Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton,

Created by Jeremy Slater

The Story:

In 1989, 43 children were born on the exact same day, none of whom came from mothers that were pregnant when the day started. Reclusive billionaire Reginald Hargreeves scoured the globe attempting to adopt as many as he could. He wound up with 7 of them. As they grew, he trained them to become a team of superheroes as they all exhibited superpowers, except one. Now, decades later, they are reunited for the first time in ages at the passing of their father...

So what to say and where to begin?

It's based on a comic book, and as I've mentioned, it's got superheroes in it.

The first episode is a little slow with introducing everyone and setting the stage, but it's a trip well worth taking.

Without spoiling too much, one of the siblings, Five (Gallagher) returns from the future where he has witnessed the end of the world. It's up to him and his family to try and avert that catastrophe from coming.

However, temporal assassins have been dispatched back in time as well to ensure Five fails.

Yeah, that's spoiler-free enough.

The storyline is spread among the cast as they get their own character arcs and intersect with one another as deemed appropriate from the plot.

There is also heavy flashbacks/flash forwards as the narrative requires. 

With such an ensemble cast, some characters will grow on you and become favorites: Five, Klaus (Sheehan) and Hazel (Britton) and some you may just want to throttle...Luther (Hopper) I'm looking at you.

As everyone in our house has finished the series, we all came to one conclusion:

Vanya (Page) is the character that nobody liked from the very beginning.

That we watched it all in different viewing groups and didn't discuss anything until it was over makes this outcome even more amusing.

If you've watched/read enough superheroes in your life (or ever read any book or watched a tv show or movie...) you will likely know each and every twist and turn that is going to happen over the course of the show's 10 episodes.

That's okay, at least you don't have any last minute twists that make no sense coming at you just as a "gotcha" moment.

While fans are still mourning the loss of the Marvel properties on Netflix, it's good to see that they are shoring up the superhero front with other properties that probably cost a lot less to produce.

I'm intrigued by the possibilities that Season Two will hopefully hold for this show, and we'll all be back to watch when they're ready.

Not The Michael Jackson or NASA Experience I Was Hoping For..."Moonwalkers"

Moonwalkers (2015)

Rated R

Starring Rupert Grint, Ron Perlman, Robert Sheehan

Directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet

The Story:

Just in case the upcoming Apollo moon landing doesn't work, the government wants to have a backup plan. They send CIA Agent Kidman (Perlman) to offer a ton of money to director Stanley Kubrick to stage the whole thing. However Kidman runs into Jonny (Grint) who pretends to be Kubrick's manager, and then convinces his friend (Sheehan) to pretend to be Kubrick so they can get their hands on the cash.

What should have been a ripe satire or even a gripping joy ride to one of the oldest, and greatest conspiracy theories of all times is dead on arrival.

I gave it the full 20 minutes.

I was pressed to eject it out much sooner.

It's a shame because they nailed the opening credits to be some cross between Monty Python and Yellow Submarine.

After that though, Perlman's delusions of being in Vietnam and seeing the enemy everywhere he looked added nothing to the proceedings.

The quick sequence in Diamonds Are Forever poking fun at the moon landing is a much better alternative to watch than this.

Then again, so is just about anything.

Final Grade: D