The battle of
superheroes at the box office occurs each summer, and occasionally in-between,
but this overly-popular genre has recently bled into the world of television as
well. Much of this is a way for the largest two comic book franchises to
continue their narratives on the small screen, with more and more Marvel and DC
shows popping up each year. Simultaneously there has been an increase in
original entertainment from some unlikely places. Earlier this year we saw the success
of a Netflix comic book series with “Daredevil,” but even the unlikely format
of the PlayStation has entered the game with a series based on a graphic novel
not belonging to either of the two powerhouse comic contributors.
Based on the
Icon comic series by the same name, “Powers” offers little new to the superhero
genre despite the original universe created for these specific characters. What
the show has is a somewhat unique concept, but within this narrative are
familiar themes and derivative superheroes and abilities. With humans concerned
over the unstoppable supernatural beings that some of the population has
evolved into, a new branch of law enforcement is created. The Powers Division
is responsible for keeping these individuals in-line when the real superheroes
aren’t available. The Agents of Shield… I mean, Powers Division is headed up by
a former hero named Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley), who lost his powers
while helping put away one of the most feared villains named Wolfe (Eddie Izzard).
Now he adjusts to being a mere human, forced to take down the criminals with
powers by using his intellect and intuition instead.
“Powers” has the freedom of not being
on a network and takes advantage of this in many of the same ways that
“Daredevil” did. There is a bit more violence than you might normally see, but
the major difference comes in the dialogue, occasionally going overboard with
the number of times the F-word is used. Even with all of this, “Powers” doesn’t
feel remotely as edgy as “Daredevil.” This may be because the colorful costumes
and lighting reminded me more of “Heroes,” or it could be due to the fact that
the plot is occasionally more similar to the far darker Watchmen, and feels watered down as a result. It is likely a
combination of both; the market is now so flooded with these narratives that it
takes a lot more to provide something original.
Despite the clever blending of a
detective show format with the superhero narrative, “Powers” fails to ever
impress with anything new or exciting. Even worse, the show lacks any sense of
direction. There are only ten episodes in season one, but it still manages to
feel over-long and convoluted. There are too many narrative threads dangling in
the way, so that it is unclear what the main story is until near the end of the
season. Along with the return of a villain named Johnny Royalle (Noah Taylor), Walker
The Blu-ray release for Season 1
includes all ten episodes on three discs. While the opportunity that the home
entertainment release provides for those without a PlayStation plus network
subscription is significant, I’m not sure that the show has the impact
necessary for getting viewers to pay for the DVD, Blu-ray or a PlayStation
subscription. Exclusive to the Blu-ray are a handful of extras, including a
featurette about the adaptation of the comic book material, outtakes, and
deleted scenes. Also included is an additional featurette about the added law
enforcement element of the show. This one is also included on the DVD release
as the sole extra.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5.5/10
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