There are unspoken rules regarding weapons in dramatic narration. If there is a weapon on stage, it must explode. If we see that a character has a knife in her boot, she had better use it to get out of trouble. . . or their ties. And if a story focuses on a supernatural sword, the main character should know how to balance it.
Cursed, Netflix’s latest attempt to block a successful fantasy franchise in a post-Game of Thrones world, places the sword of the Arthurian legend in the hands of a young woman named Nimue, played by Katherine Langford (from “13 Reasons “Why” fame). Nimue comes from a fairy town, a town connected with nature and the spiritual realm. Among those with inherent powers, she has special gifts that her villagers fear, marking her as a stranger. And that’s before she runs her fingers around the hilt of one of the most famous blades in western literature.
When this ancient magic-infused weapon finally takes possession of it, history makes us think that Nimue would naturally be, at least in short bursts, a complete rude. . . when in fact and in action, Langford’s technique is worth a grimace. It doesn’t matter, because he shakes it well enough to drop evil creatures and terrible men, some of whom are considerate enough to walk more or less toward the pointy end.
Practically the publishers of the show paint on some CGI arterial sprays in the characteristic way of Frank Miller’s artwork, making each splash a modern take on those “POW!” Cartoons. “DELETE!” “BAM!” Cards that appeared in the 1960s live-action television series version of “Batman.”
But then, those were played for camp. A co-creation by Miller and Tom Wheeler, “Cursed,” who wrote five of its 10 episodes and authored the best-selling graphic novel the series is based on, is a completely serious creation with good intentions. Throughout their history, Miller and Wheeler aim to reshape the legend of King Arthur by placing women in positions of power rather than relegating them to mere objects of desire or sinister temptresses. Greetings for good intentions.
Truly, there is much to appreciate about a version of the crisp Arthurian myth that presents Nimue as the girl who would be queen but who is destined to become the Lady of the Lake. . . Although in this account, who can say what that ultimately means?
Fate marks Nimue, who in the way of all the high fantasy leaders these days, rejects her fate before reluctantly hugging him, realizing what to do while the people around her have brains and shoot arrows . The confusion, as you can see, is that Nimue contains powers outside of those supposedly granted by the sword. People or beasts that threaten it undergo recovery of local flora. She is not someone you want to get mad at.
There’s more: “Cursed” also introduces Arthur (Devon Terrell) as a mercenary with a heart of gold and Nimue’s declared protector, despite declaring that he needs no protection, a moot point.
Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård) is a drunkard and charlatan, hiding the inconvenient detail that he has lost his powers from King Uther Pendragon (Sebastián Armesto), a ruler who barely holds the country together. Mad fanatics in red monk robes led by the bloody father Carden (Peter Mullan) rampage through the kingdom, killing magical people, including Nimue’s relatives, which sets her on a quest to search for Merlin. Along the way, she must unite her people and avoid the murderous paladins as she runs away from her champion, a black-cloaked one-man slaughterhouse (Daniel Sharman) whose name remains a mystery until the end of the season. Lots of Vikings appear along the way, because why not?
There’s nothing wrong with a light, feather-light tinker, and the “Damn” case fits that pillow perfectly. Still, he could have aimed higher in his run of the first season on multiple fronts, among which should have been prioritizing putting Langford through some sort of Renaissance Fair training ground.
The reason I keep dwelling on this point, despite various scenes explaining Nimue’s inexperience in apologizing Langford’s incredibly poor attempt to fight with theatrical swords, is that there are simply too many brilliant female fighters in genre entertainment to that the choreography in these scenes seems dazzling hobbyist.
They also prevent the viewer from completely buying into the central notion that this sword has the power to change a kingdom’s destiny for better or for worse. A place of that mojo level should make anyone visibly competent in a fight for 30 seconds at a time. In a better series, this would be an easily ignored flaw. In this piece, he exemplifies the B-grade nature of production aspirations and his insistence on maintaining predictable linearity for his pursuit.
Turn off your brain, and “Cursed” is fun and paces more smoothly than other recent genre debuts. But at best, it feels like a small plate meant to keep our stomachs full until we have a new season of “The Witcher,” a thread that’s much wilder and messier, but also a reliably better adventure.
Since Netflix, along with any other studio, is still trying to figure out the next big magic franchise, “Cursed” ends up in a cliffhanger that I suppose it’ll have a chance to solve, along with some significant midnight-minute revelations that set out its intention. of staying true to the distinctive features of the classical myth and making a person wonder what madness Wheeler and the writers of the show will use to get there. However, this is an old story, not “old” in the unconditional and traditional sense but in its crunch.
Film and television audiences have not clamored for a remake of the Knights of the Round Table tales since 1981’s “Excalibur” became a cult hit. If there was any chance of an update for the book succeeding Guy Ritchie’s 2017 bomb “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” shot an arrow into the heart of that dream.
Compared to that, “Damn” is an adventurous means of squeezing the barrier between this intellectual property and the enthusiasm of the audience that allows his chosen one to be truly extraordinary in his own way and without neutralizing his gender. The show may not be with many, but young adults and young women in particular who yearn for a story that puts a heroine on the journey of a classic hero might find something to enjoy here, at least until a charm appears. best.
“Damn” is now streaming on Netflix.
