REVIEW #42 Jupiter’s Legacy (2021)

Jupiter’s Legacy is Netflix’s latest superhero project based on the comic book series by Frank Miller and Frank Quietly. It follows the worlds first superheroes, who acquired their powers in 1930 and we see just how they acquired them through a series of flashbacks throughout the series. However in the present day they run the ‘Union’ of superheroes, where their children struggle to live up to the expectations of their parents.

CAST & THE ACTING (8.5/10)

Josh Duhamel leads the cast as Sheldon Sampson the leader of the Union and Leslie Bibb plays his wife Grace. The rest of the cast are relatively unknown, however they still deliver strong performances. One I would like to highlight in particular is Elena Kampouri as Chloe Sampson, the troubled daughter of Grace and Sheldon. She does brilliantly at showing a character with real depth, she has superpowers but being the daughter of the two most powerful superheroes in the world has only led her down a path of drugs and alcohol abuse. Kampouri’s performance really adds some grit to this series and by doing so means that it becomes more relatable. The rest of the cast deliver strong performances too and they have to because there are so many damaged relationships in this show, that all the actors need to show a real range of acting ability in order make those relationships authentic to the audience.

PLOT & THE STORYLINE (8/10)

What I liked about this series is how it is targeted more at adults, with gore, sex and foul language but also with some real darker sub plots such as Chloe Sampson’s drug and alcohol abuse. This is something I have been wanting from the mainstream franchises like Marvel and DC but thus far we have only really got Deadpool! The storyline itself is pretty easy to follow and the characters are really good too. I watched all 8 episodes in a day and that is a clear sign at how this plot captures your attention and gets you hooked. The flashback scenes are a nice touch, showing us how they acquired their powers and also presenting the audience with the necessary information needed to realise why certain characters are the way they are in the present day. My only criticism with it would be perhaps how they got their powers, without giving to much away I just felt like that could be the one area where it could be improved but an 8 is still a good score.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS (8.5/10)

It is clear that Netflix committed a large budget to this series because the special effects were really good. From the superheroes using their powers to the blood and gore from the fighting I think it all looked pretty authentic which is important for a series in this genre to be successful. The cinematography was good and the scenes flowed nicely, capturing some nice transitions between scenes. Especially when Walter Sampson uses his powers, switching from reality to a subconscious world he creates in the subjects mind. That looked really good. For a first series I think that the it deserves an 8.5, it still has room for improvement but it was really good.

OVERALL (8.3/10)

I really enjoyed this series, there are some really good characters in there and I liked how it was targeted more for adults with some darker themes, more violence and bad language. The acting was good and the effects really authentic and believable which makes for a great superhero show. We are seeing more and more of these types of shows for adults now with The Boys and even the animated Invincible series both on Amazon, which is really good to see. I do think I preferred The Boys but this is still a great show and you should check it out.

Thanks for reading.

Callan