Having gruesomely dispatched the evil Nazi Stormfront (Aya Cash) in the previous season, the Boys have seemingly gone legit, with Hughie (Jack Quaid) toiling away in a superhero task force and the rest of the gang working as a CIA hit squad. The ever-gruff Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) however, remains committed to his crusade to end the Superman-adjacent Homelander (Antony Starr), joining forces with a disgruntled Maeve (Dominique McElligott) to search for a weapon capable of killing him. But when the original supe himself, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) returns to the scene, Butcher spies an opportunity, pitting the veteran against his traitorous former team on a collision course for a showdown of the ages with Homelander himself.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Starring: Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid, Jensen Ackles, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara & Chace Crawford.
Watch it now on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Studios, 2022
With its third season, The Boys cements itself as the quintessential superhero counter-programming to the likes of Marvel and DC. Where those franchises threaten to collapse in on themselves with the introduction of television series and more content than even a super-hero could consume, Eric Kripke and his team continue to hone their gleefully deranged, wickedly funny send-up of the genre (future spin-offs not withstanding), all the while telling an endlessly engaging and evolving story of corruption and the madness revenge can cause. The third season might just be the best yet, with the series’ most mature story to date punctuated with pops of absurdist colour and unexpected musical numbers on the way to a conclusion that leads with good storytelling rather than the over-the-top gore the series is known for or the action-heavy slugfests of other genre fare (there’s still plenty of those to be had).
That isn’t to say that the series has lost its bite. Far from it. The premiere alone contains the most hilariously depraved scenes the show has attempted so far (that’s including impaled whales and giant, extendable penises) which we will not spoil here other than to say you are simply not ready for the experience. As someone who has seen a lot of things on-screen, even I had to wince and turn away at times, it was simply too uncomfortable. Outside of that, the gore is as plentiful as ever, Karl Urban still says the C-word a minimum 50 times an episode and the gross-out moments fly fast and thick. There’s also ‘Herogasm’, an episode and in-universe superhero orgy that dominates an entire episode. But things aren’t all that they seem here, rather than steer into an hour of over-the-top sex, the setting serves to accentuate the heavy emotional storytelling going on here. The Boys is dialling everything up to eleven, and the storytelling is no exception.
Amazon Studios, 2022
Kripke is a master of reinvention with his characters, consistently spinning them onto new exciting trajectories (it’s easy to see from his extensive work on Supernatural). Jack Quaid’s Hughie gets far more to do this time around with the introduction of Temporary V – a short term, 24 hour drug concoction imbuing the user with super-powers – and how these sudden bursts of power and responsibility impact his relationship with Erin Moriarty’s Starlight – ever the saviour in their relationship – is a highlight of the season. Urban’s Butcher is nicely expanded upon – a flashback scene provides some devastating backstory – calling into question his total commitment to winning no matter the cost and teasing some unexpected ways his character could evolve in the future.
Fellow Supernatural alumni Jensen Ackles is another excellent addition to the growing cast, as the PTSD-ridden, perpetually high Soldier Boy. Where Marvel and DC’s approach seems to be to consistently throw new characters into the mix, regardless of whether they sink or swim, The Boys excels at introducing one or two newbies and really rounding their characters out. Soldier Boy is no exception and Ackles brings the gravitas you would expect from a Captain America-like figure (“Hands off the fucking shield”) and plays it hilariously straight as he smokes, drinks and indulges himself in between dispatching his victims without a care in the world for modern-day niceties or social advancements.
Amazon Studios, 2022
But the true stand-out here and the show’s secret weapon continues to be Antony Starr as Homelander. It’s always a treat to dig deeper and deeper into the homicidal tendencies of his deeply troubled psyche and it’s amazing how much Starr can tell you about the character’s headspace through a simple flash of anger in the eyes. As far as TV villains go, Starr has cemented Homelander as an all-timer and should seriously be considered for an Emmy; taking something as pure and noble as Superman and warping it into this embodiment of all that is wrong with the world should be celebrated after all. The new wrinkles thrown into his character this season – further parallels of Trump and some spicy secrets – only serve to add even more layers to the already nuanced performance and although it may seem like we’ve had thousands of Trump-ish parodies in the media in recent years, Starr’s is truly definitive, refreshing in just how not subtle he and Kripke choose to handle the wild violence he inflicts and the nonsensical justifications for it.
The Boys continues its grim, gritty ride through an evil superhero-ridden landscape with its most ambitious and entertaining season yet. Delivering on fan expectations with wildly off-kilter set-pieces and the deliciously dark humour we’ve come to expect, the show really shines in how it continues to evolve and challenge its core cast of characters. Action is plentiful but not always the forefront – oftentimes a conversation is far more impactful than any punch – and Eric Kripke consistently surprises in where the story goes next. Jensen Ackles is an excellent addition to a phenomenal cast and Antony Starr continues to make Homelander the most disgusting, but infinitely watchable villain on television. No witty one-liners to end on here, I’ll leave that to the Boys, watch it now.
Star Wars is in a strange place at the moment. One of the biggest film franchises of all time, the series has seen its movie endeavours come to a temporary halt after the disappointment of 2019’s sequel trilogy-capper The Rise of Skywalker, whilst its efforts in other mediums like The Mandalorian and video game Jedi: Fallen Order show that fans are desperate for more galactic adventures that feel different and take advantage of everything the wider world of Star Wars has to offer.
Disney+’s latest offering, Visions might just be the property’s most out-there Star Wars content to date, handing the treasured reigns over to seven Japanese animation studios and tasking them with crafting unique stories in the galaxy far, far away. The results are largely successful, with striking animation across the board drawing from all corners of classic to modern stylings, emotional, impactful stories and some of the best interpretations of those classic Star Wars elements since the original trilogy.
Rather than review the series as a whole, we’ve decided to tackle each episode individually, ultimately ranking them. Whilst you should definitely watch the entire show if you have the chance, if you are short on time or just looking to dip your toe into these anime interpretations of Star Wars then this is the way.
9. The Village Bride
Lucasfilm, 2021
While none of the Visions episodes are bad, The Village Bride is the least successful in coalescing its myriad of big ideas into something that works both as a story and an expansion of the Star Wars universe. Following rogue Jedi, F (Karen Fukuhara) who finds herself in the middle of a small village where tradition dictates a young girl must be handed over to separatist warlords as a protection payment, the episode simply tries to juggle too much; throwing cross-cultural commentary and an examination of nature on top of an otherwise unsurprising story.
Fukuhara tries her best to instill some life into proceedings through her voice work and there are attempts to flesh out F’s backstory but the character is too bland to win us over; the supporting characters too familiar and the story too safe to elicit much of a response from the audience.
8. T0-B1
Lucasfilm, 2021
On its face T0-B1 may appear eerily similar to Japanese cartoon icon Astro Boy, sporting a similarly stunning style of animation and a very child-friendly tone – almost like a Chibi version of Luke Skywalker. Couple this with a Pinnochio-esque story of a robotic boy who must fend for himself after his master his eliminated by a Sith lord and the short can feel a little throwaway. But as the story encroaches into darker territory on its way to delivering a fist-pumpingly heroic finale, its purpose becomes clearer. This is one of the most simple, purest forms of Star Wars storytelling and, for someone, it will potentially be their introduction to this world.
On that level, T0-B1 is successful in delivering that visceral Star Wars thrill of watching a character go from humble nobody to hero, all wrapped up in an incredibly stylish package. It might not be very dissimilar from Luke Skywalker’s story, but it is inspiring and enraptures you in the world of T0-B1, and to some young person out there, that might be enough to create a lifelong Star Wars fan.
7. Tatooine Rhapsody
Lucasfilm, 2021
Easily the most unique of all the stories told within Visions, Tatooine Rhapsody follows the exploits of Jay (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an outcast Jedi following the fall of the Jedi Order who finds belonging within a band of miscreants, together forming a literal rock band. When their leader Geezer (Bobby Moynihan) is taken prisoner by Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and brought to Tatooine to fulfil a debt to iconic crime lord Jabba the Hutt, the band springs into action to rescue their bassist, endearing themselves to a whole new fanbase in the process.
The episode wins points on the strength of its premise alone, leaning into the weirdness that the galaxy has to offer and away from the conventional Jedi vs Sith storytelling that the rest of the series favours. It wears its anime influences on its sleeve; full of zany, over-the-top characters and larger-than-life musical moments, a lot of which will have you wincing from the cringe-inducing lyrics. If you can get past this however, you will be rewarded with a simple but touching story of friendship that offers a glimpse into the ground level stories of regular people within the galaxy.
6. Akakiri
Lucasfilm, 2021
An ode to a more old-school form of Japanese animation, Akakiri presents the stylish hand-drawn adventure of Jedi Tsubaki (Henry Golding), who returns to his childhood planet to aid long-lost love Misa (Jamie Chung) in recapturing the planet from Sith ruling. Traditional in its form as well as art-style, Akakiri is largely a road movie, following the pair and two goofy, overly superstitious guides (George Takei & Keone Young) as they travel across the planet and sneak into the Sith’s castle, narrowly avoiding capture at every turn.
The simple premise works thanks to terrific voice-acting, especially Takei and Young, who bring the most humour to the entire series with their oafish guides’ constant babbling about the events transpiring. Golding and Chung have excellent chemistry, their dialogue hinting at a complicated past, without the need to dig too deeply into it before a shocking ending twists the narrative on its head, unafraid to leave you without a happy resolution in favour of forcing you to think about the complex moral choices that are so often glossed over in Star Wars.
5. The Twins
Lucasfilm, 2021
The Twins could easily function as one of Marvel’s recent What If episodes, telling the story of a set of twins (not dissimilar from Luke and Leia) born through the Dark Side of the Force and tasked with subjecting the galaxy to their rule. One of these twins Karre (Neil Patrick Harris) defects from the pair’s evil plan, stealing a necessary component to a Death Star style weapon and sending sister Am (Alison Brie) into a blind rage, culminating with the siblings thrown into all-out war with each other.
On its face this is essentially “what if Leia went to the Dark Side” but what makes The Twins so fascinating to watch is the way it embraces the craziness of anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Gundam with a battle for the ages; full of explosions and over-the-top twists. A normal lightsaber fight? Try a robotic suit of six lightsaber whips against an entire X-Wing out in the vacuum of space. It is this total commitment to full-tilt insanity that makes the episode so enthralling, with each new development in the battle a showcase of the creativity and inventiveness that the franchise helped inspire in the first place.
4. Lop & Ochō
Lucasfilm, 2021
Another hand-drawn tale – this time from Japanese studio Geno – Lop & Ochō blends not only its in-episode worlds, with a small, heavily Japanese-influenced city overrun by an Imperial regime, but its story influences, drawing on the original trilogy’s fondness for found family storylines and the political overtures of the prequel trilogy to particularly potent effect. Alien slave Lop (Anna Cathcar voices the anthropomorphised rabbit) is rescued by Ochō (Hiromi Dames) and her village-leader father Yasaburo (Paul Nakauchi), and adopted into the family as a sister to Ochō, who is next in line to lead the clan. When an Imperial occupation divides the clan from within – with Ochō choosing to join the Empire in order to stave off her village’s destruction and Yasaburo opting to fight for their freedom – Lop is forced to step in to stop the Empire and reconcile her broken family.
The stakes are certainly epic in scope, but Lop & Ochō favours a more focused approach to the storytelling, detailing the ground level struggle of the village and the particularly tough situation it finds itself in: desperate to be free of Empire rule but unable to function without it thanks to years of resource mining. It’s a high concept wrapped up in the distinctly human struggle of Yasaburo’s clan and the emotional beats between the central trio hit home, despite the relatively short runtime. Lop, Ochō and Yasaburo are all given enough time to let their ideas breathe and you can understand each party’s viewpoints, making Lop’s ultimate decision that much more emotionally impactful, as only the the best Star Wars stories can be.
3. The Ninth Jedi
Lucasfilm, 2021
When young Jedi Ethan (Masi Oka) answers a mysterious beacon from the shadowy Juro (Andrew Kishino) offering him one of the ancient weapons of the Jedi – a lightsaber – he finds he is part of a large group of outcast Jedi who have answered the call. As the group debate over the true identity of their host, young Kara (Kimiko Glenn) is forced to go on the run after bounty hunters storm the house she shares with her father, murdering him in an attempt to steal the lightsabers he has created for Juro. Seeking shelter at the only other place she knows, Kara finds herself on a course to interrupting the Jedi’s gathering, with her arrival setting off an unpredictable chain of events.
The Ninth Jedi is one giant exercise in challenging iconic Star Wars preconceptions, steadily building tension towards a reveal that throws the audience for a loop but never feels like a cheap trick. Instead it invites us to look at how we view the franchise as a whole, at how we have been conditioned to think a certain way about how certain characters look or behave and how that behaviour pigeonholes them as a certain type of character. That might sound overly political or preachy but The Ninth Jedi never feels that way, with its slow burn of intrigue and action-packed side story intersecting in an explosive finale.
2. The Elder
Lucasfilm, 2021
A simple but extremely effective episode, The Elder focuses on a master Jedi and his Padawan as they investigate a disturbance on a nearby planet, plunging them into a deadly battle with an ancient Sith enemy. Immediately the animation grabs you; an intricately detailed and polished style that sets the scene for a more mature episode than what has come before. Once the duel swings into full effect it is stunning to behold: a dimly lit, rain-soaked affair brightened only by the vivid greens, reds and blues of the participants lightsabers, with fight choreography as impressive as many of the franchise’s best.
The relationship between Jedi’s Tajin (David Harbour) and his apprentice Dan (Jordan Fisher) will be instantly familiar to fans of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn’s bond in The Phantom Menace, creating an immediate connection to the characters that adds to the tension of the final showdown. It might not pack the heavy thematic notes of other episodes but The Elder is a fine example of how the fundamentals of Star Wars can create something engaging and investing without the need for complex worlds or backstory; how the choreography and movement of a fight alone can tell a compelling and gripping story.
1. The Duel
Lucasfilm, 2021
George Lucas has long spoken about the influences he drew on when creating Star Wars and like Lucas’ original films The Duel wears those influences of Japanese samurai culture and Westerns on its sleeves, combining them with a visually striking, black and white art style to create something wholly unique to the Star Wars canon. We follow our largely silent Ronin hero (Masaki Terasoma) as he wanders into a small village seeking shelter and sustenance. When a group of Stormtroopers, led by a mysterious Sith warrior, arrives to subjugate the village, a group of bounty hunters employed by the villagers bravely fight back unaware of the power of their Sith opponent. Overpowered and on the brink of the defeat, the village must place their faith in the shadowy Ronin to defend them.
As with the best Western stories, The Duel challenges the morality of its hero, not staying beholden to the dichotomy of Jedi and Sith as the episode presents the possibility of the Ronin being tuned to both the Dark and Light side of the Force. Visually he appears to be a Jedi, but as events unfold you understand that, unlike the art style, this world isn’t that black and white. Exploring the murkier underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy is something fans have long been clamouring for, and The Duel shows that Jedi and Sith exist without being wholly good or evil like heroes and villains of the past.
The visuals are, simply put, stunning; resembling a living painting with the way the line work of the hand-drawn style shifts as characters move. Vibrant blue laser bolts and vivid red beams of lightsabers pop against the muted background, creating scenes so visually stunning they could be hung as artwork. As the first episode in the anthology, The Duel is tasked with setting the tone for things to come and it succeeds the most in balancing all the elements at play, from the Anime craziness of the Sith’s umbrella lightsaber, the classically Japanese Ronin hero to an R2-D2-like droid that provides some much-needed humour. A perfect introduction to an exciting new chapter in Star Wars.
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Star Wars: Visionsstars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alison Brie, Neil Patrick Harris, Henry Golding, Jamie Chung, David Harbour, Jordan Fisher, Masi Oka, Kimiki Glenn, Anna Cathcar, Hiromi Dames, Paul Nakauchi, George Takei, Bobby Moynihan, Temuera Morrison & Karen Fukuhara – Streaming on Disney+ Now.
Amazon struck gold with the breakout success of The Boys; turning the superhero genre on its head with a unique blend of balls-to-the-wall violence, extremely crude humour and stark social commentary. If you thought it would be impossible for Amazon to improve on their winning formula then I’m happy to report that you’re dead wrong. The sophomore season of the superhero satire proves it has not lost any of its edge or shock factor; moving from strength to strength as exciting new characters are revealed, the extensive, twisted history of the villainous Vought corporation is laid bare and the relationships between that core band of loveable misfits are tested and strengthened time and time again. The writing continues to be razor sharp as the show dives into a myriad of timely political and social issues, offsetting it all with some truly insane set pieces and jokes that push the boundaries of what a television budget can produce.
Picking up right where Season 1 left off we find Hughie (Jack Quaid) and the rest of the Boys laying low after their climactic confrontation with A-Train (Jesse T. Usher); directionless without Butcher (Karl Urban) to lead them and fearing their imminent death at the hands of the Vought corporation. Once Butcher returns from his solo mission the crew set out to expose the recently discovered “Compound V” – the serum secretly used to create all superheroes – encountering obstacle after obstacle on their way to deliver the truth and disband the superhero system once and for all. Meanwhile we find Homelander (Antony Starr) struggling to maintain his place as leader of the Seven after the death of his former handler, Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue). The unannounced arrival of new hero Stormfront (Aya Cash) not only shakes up Homelander’s world, but the larger American community; with her outspoken, unfiltered speeches radicalising a large portion of the community (remind you of anyone) and tipping the country towards the implementation of a full scale super-powered military force commanded by Vought. Stormfront’s presence only further complicates things for the Boys, and the violence once again gets dialled to eleven as they attempt to infiltrate Vought and bring the organisation down once and for all, leaving a mountain of bodies in their wake.
Amazon Studios, 2020
Let’s get one thing straight. The Boys had a great first season, with excellent character development and some solid world-building that really ingratiated you into this universe of corrupt superheroes being held accountable by a bunch of scoundrels. This season, however, vaults it into the conversation for best show currently airing, worthy of Game of Thrones level hype (hopefully they can stick the landing better). Everything comes together here in a much more compelling package, with a tighter narrative focus that expands and twists and turns towards an unexpected, yet on-brand finale that not only gets the ball in the goal, but blows the whole goal up. Sure no show is perfect, and there is room for improvement with some fat to trim. The Deep’s (Chace Crawford) storyline never really gets going and fails to hit that payoff it constantly seems to be building towards, with the late inclusion of A-Train into his arc suggesting that the show-runners don’t really know what to do with Jesse T. Usher’s disgraced speedster. Yet when a show juggles as many characters as this one does, it is hard to begrudge them a few flaws.
The highlight of the season is undoubtedly Aya Cash’s star-making turn as Stormfront. She is absolutely phenomenal in the role, crafting a chilling portrayal of someone so tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and able to play off the country’s fears to such a convincing degree that she ultimately surpasses Homelander in popularity and threaten’s to overthrow his leadership of the Seven. Her interplay and scenes with the Superman stand-in are equal parts hilarious and terrifying with her wise-cracks and crude social media references disguising a level of cunning so advanced and calculated that she is playing in another mental league to the child-like Homelander. Subtle things like the glint of fear in her eyes when she has sensed she has pushed the big man too far do so much to flesh out the performance and when things get truly unhinged towards the finale Cash goes all-out, rivalling the supervillain hissy-fits of the likes of Loki and Lex Luthor.
Amazon Studios, 2020
That’s not to say that the original cast are outshone, all delivering stellar performances that further their respective arcs with moments that give the audience an insight into their personal lives and what makes them tick. The fleshing out of Frenchie’s (Tomer Capon) backstory is a particular highlight, transforming him from slightly unhinged, weapons obsessed maniac to a tortured soul who buries himself in his work to disguise the terrible guilt he feels over past mistakes. The bond Frenchie develops with Karen Fukuhara’s mute, face-smashing Kimiko is one of the more endearing relationships I have seen in the superhero medium in a long time, with each episode deepening their connection as the two uncover each other’s past and share intimate details, often without any dialogue at all. Kimiko presents the guilt-ridden Frenchie with a path of redemption, by helping someone recover from a terrible tragedy, whilst Frenchie represents a new start for Kimiko, free from her past mistakes and away from her life of violence. It’s these powerful and quiet moments and connections which completely contrast the insanity of the violence and jokes that make you feel like you’re watching something with a voice, a message that goes beyond the sometimes shallowness of other superhero projects.
As with the first season that message is loud and clear this time, with a particular focus on the current commander-in-chief and his recent associations with certain white supremacists. Whilst this might induce a certain weariness from some audience members (Alec Baldwin and his SNL pay checks not withstanding), The Boys presents it in a way that is both fun and easily digestible. You know exactly what the show is alluding to and they all but use the man’s name in pointing out his stupidity, but it never feels heavy-handed and the humour of the situation always lands, even when it is simply a roll of Homelander’s eyes at some absolute rubbish Stormfront is spewing. The social commentary isn’t isolated to Trump roasting though, with side story-lines touching on everything from Scientology-like religious institutions for disgraced super-heroes (AKA #MeToo aggressors) to get their careers back on track to equal rights for the LGBTQ community. It’s all dealt with with a steady stream of curse-word and very NFSW jokes, with a hell of a lot of blood and gore when the action hits to boot. A scene involving a speedboat and a whale is a particular favourite, just make sure you have a strong stomach.
Amazon Studios, 2020
The second season of The Boys not only surpasses the first, but really anything that Amazon has put onto their streaming service. This is an absolute must-watch show and something that absolutely warrants you picking up a subscription ASAP. From the jokes and violence to the social commentary to the powerhouse performances from the entire cast, this is a superhero show that feels so utterly and completely fresh; uncompromising in its commitment to over-the-top, unrelenting entertainment where other big studio superhero shows and films can seem hamstrung by their commitment to bringing in the biggest possible box-office return. What other superhero show have you seen that features heads popping like candy, 20 foot super-powered penises and speedboats punching wholes through aquatic mammals?
Amazon Studios, 2020
The Boys – Season 2 stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Aya Cash, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Jessie T. Usher & Giancarlo Esposito – Streaming on Amazon Prime now.
