TV Review: Krypton Revamps Filmed Takes on Superman
Whether you loved the most recent renditions of Superman, felt okay about it, or try to ignore their very existence, Krypton arises as a second chance to know the first, legendary superhero. Best yet, he is not even in the show. How SYFY’s Krypton manages to reveal new things about they classic hero, while making him invisible to the eye is fascinating, and relies on the charm of his grandfather Seg-El.
Watching Cameron Cuffe’s Seg get into bar-fights, plot revenge, and make love to a Zod seems so “Un-Superman”. Yet, that is why you fall in love with the idea of him as his grandfather. It is crazy to see the origins from which we derive for better or worse. Krypton is a planet that is SUPER religious, vast in economic inequality, and does not mind using genocidal tactics to erase the “rankless” (Krypton’s version of the undesirables) It is surprising to see how backwards Krypton. Now, according to the comics, we knew it was not a “perfect” world, but it has a big bag of issues that Earth can relate to, except I feel our home planet is sunnier.
Aesthetically, Krypton is gorgeous. It may be cinematographically dark, but it is ornate in details. Every scene truly feels like another world, and sparks you to dream of your own life in Krypton. The planet’s elaborate setting only amplifies that, again, for a progressed society, they need to grow up. The Vexs (Wallis Day as Nyssa Vex and Elliot Cowan as Daron-Vex) have enough political plots running to make them appear like Krypton’s Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, except way better looking. Then, you have the Zods (Georgina Campbell as Lyta-Zod and Ann Ogbomo as Jayna-Zod) whom are trying to be a mindless army/ henchmen for the Vexs, but find their conscious eating at them. It is not easy to be a muscle for someone when you have your own brain.
Now three episodes in, Krypton is about to pick up steam. I truly believe Episode 4 of ANY series is when things start to gain more “action-packed” steam. Now that we know Brainiac is the villain to beat, we also KNOW that Krypton, as a series, is not playing in terms of bringing the biggest villains and refreshing ways to defeat him. For one, Shaun Sipos’ Adam Strange is like a Co-Captain Kirk to Seg- El; bringing charm, bravado, and a lot of good luck when it comes to escaping dangerous situations. Seeing his interactions with the rebellious Seg makes them the new dynamic pair saving Krypton, even though we know how that tale ends.
Knowing Krypton ends up destroyed and that Seg’s love affair with Lyta Zod is 99% going to end badly, gives the series a Shakespearean doom. You see all these people fighting for love and life, but you know they will lose. Still, the lesson of hope from Krypton is that in fighting to keep and better your present, you, automatically, are fighting to keep and prosper your future; even if you cannot say how. After all, if Seg does not protect Krypton, there will be no Superman: a truth that integrally connects Adam Strange to him. Watch Krypton Wednesdays at 9 on SYFY.
