The Penguin REVIEW Episode 1: Colin Farrell’s play for power in Gotham is dark & intriguing; the Batman spinoff is off to a great start

Film:
The Penguin

Showrunner: Lauren LeFranc

Star Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Runtime: 66 minutes (1 hour, 6 minutes)

Platform: HBO, MAX, Jio Cinema (India)

The Penguin Review

The Penguin is set weeks after the disastrous flooding of Gotham City in The Batman. It has kicked off on an impressive note and talks about the power vacuum present in the city and Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) putting things into motion to grab what he feels is rightfully his. The series – which has no sight of the DC vigilante superhero in its pilot episode, takes the viewers far deeper into the dark and compelling world Matt Reeves created for his nearly three-hour film starring Robert Pattinson. Titled ‘After Hours’, the first episode may feel a little overstuffed, but it definitely never feels boring. You are intrigued to know more about every character introduced for the next 60 minutes. Scroll below to read out The Penguin Review.

What Works

The storytelling style, the direction and the sets are on point and feel like a continuation of the 2022 film. The showdown between Farrell’s Oz and Milioti’s Sofia is one of the best things you will see in episode 1.

Story

The Penguin is set a week after Robert Pattinson’s The Batman ended, a time ripe for picking power as there is a slight vacuum in the crime world after the murder of Carmine Falcone. Falcone’s second in command, Oz want to take over the operations from the family even though Carmine’s son Alberto (Michael Zegen) has declared himself the new boss. The gritty, violent and chaos-filled hour-long episode then introduces us to intriguing characters such as mob boss Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) – a teenager who somehow becomes Oz’s driver/assistant.

Conclusion

The pilot episode of The Penguin is intriguing and sure to get you waiting to see what the series has in store and how Oz will accomplish to become the boss. The series – rich with crime, acting performances and drama between feuding gangsters, promises to keep us engrossed in its dark world with episodes releasing every week until November 10.

Note: The remaining episodes of The Penguin will stream on Mondays at 6:30 am IST from September 30 on Jio Cinema.

Check out the trailer of The Penguin here

Also Read: Emily In Paris season 4 part 2 REVIEW: Lily Collins starrer is boring and non-engaging but the finale episode leaves fans hopeful for S5