The Penguin has now screened for critics, and there’s been some surprising news for those who were fans of The Batman. The sequel series, which follows Colin Farrell‘s titular character, Oswald Cobblepot, as he attempts to seize control of Gotham City’s crime syndicates, has been a huge smash with critics. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the series sits at 93% Positive, which is a huge leap from The Batman‘s (still, nothing to be sniffed at) 85% Positive score. And in other positive news, it seems the majority of critics have seen the entire series, which makes it less likely that they were simply wowed by the opening two episodes and based it off that, before being let down. (We’re looking at you, Secret Invasion).
The Penguin‘s cast includes Farrell (Oz Cobblepot), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).
Is ‘The Penguin’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s Chase Hutchinson hailed the work of Farrell’s “darkly comedic” central performance, and noted that there are “moments of brilliance” within the show, comparing it to The Sopranos—albeit, falling short of that masterpiece.
Farrell again makes his take into something refreshingly different
. While his much smaller part in the film was all about the bigger moments and goofy arguments he’d get into with
Robert Pattinson
‘s Batman, there are more layers to the character here. Oz is no Tony Soprano by any means, as there are far more loud explosions and fights rather than rich character work, though he’s still given something more via Farrell’s performance.In many ways, the more simple scenes Farrell shares with Milioti (who is also excellent) are where
The Penguin
feels strongest, as these two characters circle each other with a combination of skepticism and solidarity. They may be the only people in the world who understand each other, but that also makes them uniquely able to destroy one another for their individual benefit.
The Penguin
drags us into a bleak world that has only been made worse by the acts of all the people the story follows
.Here’s to a potential second season when Oz goes to therapy. After everything he’s been through and has done to others, as well as what he will continue to do in his sad life, he certainly could use it.
Catch The Penguin on HBO and Max, premiering September 19 on Max, and stay tuned to Collider for more exclusive chat from series executive producer Matt Reeves.
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