The Penguin Season 1 - Movie review

The Penguin Season 1 Movie Review

After the massive success of Matt Reeve’s ‘The Batman’ in 2022, with the film grossing more than $772 million at the worldwide box office and holding an impressive 85% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 87% audience score, it was only a matter of time before we started to get sequels and spin offs. With a direct sequel currently in the works, slated for a July 2027 release date, Matt Reeve’s worked with HBO to keep the momentum going with a ‘Penguin’ spin-off show, following the rise of Gotham's newest crime lord, Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin following the events of  'The Batman'

The show was met with great critical acclaim, currently ranking as number #147 in IMDB’s top 250 Tv Shows of all time. Its two lead performers, Colin Farrell (as the Penguin) and Cristin Milioti (as Sofia Falcone) both received accolades for their portrayals of their respective characters, including a Golden Globe win for Farrell and a Critics Choice Award for Milioti. The show follows the ruthless rise of Cobblepot, as he does what he can to seize control of the Gotham underworld, cutting down anyone in his path. As a massive fan of what Farrell did with minimal screentime in ‘The Batman’, I was excited to see his character explored in more depth through an 8-episode miniseries.

The show is ruthless and plays into the darker tone and setting of Reeve’s Batman, playing more like a spiritual successor to The Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire, rather than a comic book spin-off. With comic book fatigue setting in for a lot of audiences, I am happy to report that ‘The Penguin’ feels completely removed from the popular sub-genre. It feels like its own thing, which is high praise, given its comic book roots. The dark, seedy and gritty world of Gotham feels lived-in and honestly quite terrifying. It feels like a character in it of itself, which I really enjoyed.

The real strengths here lie with its performances. Colin Farrell has delivered a few great turns in recent years, including his Oscar nominated role in Banshees of Inisherin, but here, he completely disappears, with no semblance of Farrell visible in his turn as The Penguin. It’s not just the mountains of make-up and prosthetics; it’s the complete change in his demeaner. He’s a completely different person, body and soul.  Oswald asserts himself as one of the more formidable characters in recent years. He’s so terrifying in how cold and ruthless he is, cutting down everyone in his path, to get to the top.

Cristin Milioti (yes, the mother from How I Met Your Mother), plays Sofia Falcone, the heir to the Falcone crime family, is also fantastic here, giving easily the best performance of her career. Known mainly for her comedic roles, with turns in Palm Springs and The Resort (which is highly underrated by the way), gives a dramatic and truly menacing turn as Sofia. She is easy to root for, given her past and the poor treatment from her father (played by Mark Strong), but her brutality, especially as the season progresses, makes her a really interesting character and one that keeps you guessing throughout of where her allegiances lie. Its one of the best turns from a comedic actress turned dramatic actress in recent years and in my opinion, as much as I loved Jodie Foster in True Detective: Night Country, Milioti deserved the Golden Globe for her role here.

Overall, ‘The Penguin’ was one of my favourite miniseries of 2024. Its tone was fantastic and creates a clear separation from other superhero related TV content out there at the moment. The seedy Gotham underworld has never felt moodier (if that’s a word) and I really love the way its bought to life here. The characters are all fleshed out in great detail, with clear motivations established for each, so you can really understand where each of them is coming from. This is a must-watch for crime fans as well, as mentioned, it feels like s spiritual successor to shows like The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, scratching that itch for a lot of people. Be sure to secure your copy on DVD or Blu-Ray today, you won’t want to miss out on this one!

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here