VIXEN - THE MOVIE

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Vixen - The Movie' on Blogcritics.

I’m sure most people interested in superheroes know of The CW’s excellent DC lineup, which includes Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But did you know that The CW Seed, the online off-shoot of the network, also has a DC animated series called Vixen? Originally released as two seasons of a handful of short installments ranging from four to seven minutes in length, all of the run has now been combined into Vixen – The Movie, available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Vixen - The Movie does sort of feel like a movie. It isn’t super obvious where one episode from the web series ends and another begins, other than if you assume it happens at scene changes. And while the overall run is kind of segmented into three parts – season one, a fifteen-minute interlude, and season two – the story of Mari McCabe (Megalyn Echikunwoke, The 4400, House of Lies) finding her identity and her powers, which involves controlling the spirits of animals, does help it gel together, albeit without a very definitive ending. Still, the whole thing, overall, comes across as more cohesive than I expected.

The weakest point actually is the new stuff, which is inserted into the middle. While it is relevant to Mari embracing the Vixen identity and learning how to control her powers, it also feels weird and out of place, with no virtually no continuity crossover into the two seasons. This is because Mari already seems to have a decent handle on things from instinct in the first thirty minutes, so it’s almost a step backwards to struggle with how to use them later, and we don’t see her continue the job she accepts into the latter section. I would rather the story had just skipped the year that follows to get to the last thirty minutes if they weren’t going to connect it better. Though, is a running time of less than sixty minutes long enough to be considered a movie?

Vixen isn’t as good as the other DC shows, mainly because the world it portrays is even simpler and more two-dimensional than the live-action incarnations. With most superhero series, there’s a certain amount of black and white in how characters view the world, and that’s an accepted part of the genre. But certain occurrences in Vixen – The Movie, such as Mari forgiving Macalester (Sean Patrick Thomas, The District) so easily, or the handling of what a small world Mari is from in Africa, seem cartoonish, rather than real.

But this is a cartoon, and the target audience is more than likely children. For this, it works. It is better than other children’s superhero cartoons I’ve seen, including the two episodes of the short-lived Justice League Unlimited included in this release’s extras. It’s entertaining, Mari’s powers are cool, and there are decent action scenes. The family drama is interesting, and the hero herself is at least lightly layered. I do wish the characters weren’t so still when they aren’t talking or fighting, but I did find Vixen – The Movie enjoyable.

If you’re a fan of the DC shows on The CW, Vixen – The Movie fits into that universe well. Among the characters crossing over into the animated world are Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), The Flash (Grant Gustin), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), Black Canary (Katie Cassidy), The Atom (Brandon Routh), and Firestorm (Franz Drameh and Victor Garber). These give the universe some cohesion, and make the new film feel a part of the cannon, which it is.

I also like the performers they’ve recruited just for this project, which include Echikunwoke, Neil Flynn (Scrubs, The Middle), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Black Sails), and Anika Noni Rose (The Good Wife, Dreamgirls). So again, overall, pretty good cast.

Sadly, Vixen – The Movie is lacking in bonus features. There are the aforementioned episodes of Justice League Unlimited episodes from more than a decade ago, which feature Gina Torres (Suits, Firefly) as Vixen. I find both of them boring and not great examples of children’s entertainment. Then there’s a very brief documentary about how Vixen fits in the DC landscape, which is interesting, but at only about six minutes, far too short. So the extras are not going to sway a would-be-buyer to make the purchase.

Though, if you’re already a fan of The CW shows, or you have a child who needs a good female superhero role model, or even just a bit of light entertainment, I recommend checking out Vixen – The Movie, available now.

Raise the BLACK SAILS

Article first published as BLACK SAILS Review on Seat42F.

Starz’s BLACK SAILS, a prequel to Treasure Island, opens exactly how one would expect such a show to begin – with a high-octane battle on the high seas. It’s exciting, with lots of fighting and bloodshed, explosions and combat. Basically, it kicks things off as a pay-cable pirate program should, reeling in the viewers with a flashy sequence that will hook those tuning in for just such a scene.

Because this is Starz, there is gratuitous violence and nudity. However, it’s not so much so that it distracts from the story. Instead, it’s the sort of enhancement subscribers have become accustomed to, and are typically used in the correct manner, not being a hindrance to the writing.

Underneath that, there are real characters and story that unfold over the hour, titled “I.,” perhaps a reference to its literary roots. Captain Flint (Toby Stephens, Vexed) is the leader of this pirate ship. His reign is threatened by a man named Singleton (Anthony Bishop, District 9) when Flint’s power seems to waver, with smaller and small hauls. Flint’s right-hand-man, Gates (Mark Ryan, The Prestige), does his best to sway opinion back the other way, but it may be too late.

This struggle is best illustrated through the part of Billy Bones (Tom Hopper, Merlin), whose loyalty to Flint is wavering, but whom still accompanies him on a mission to see their business partner, Richard Guthrie (Sean Cameron Michael, This Life), offering protection and counsel. Billy wants to keep the faith in his superior, but because he thinks the captain has grown weak, he considers turning away. Yet, he’s noble enough to give Flint the chance to win back his authority.

BLACK SAILS is not a story of noble people, by and large, but there is a certain honor code among a number of the characters. Flint seems intelligent and has a legitimate beef against those who would make the rules. Viewers will root for him to succeed in his quest to become king of the pirates, even as that goes against the law of the land. I supposed any series starring pirates, though, must strive to make them likeable characters.

Somehow, the pirate myths have taken on an air of romanticism over the years. These were hard men, outlaws who would slit the throat of an innocent man to steal his treasure without batting an eye. But there’s also an attractive, rebellious quality, a hint that they might stand for something and are acting out for good reason. Plus, they seem to lead a life of fun, and so we cheer their accomplishments.

The character in BLACK SAILS I found hardest to like is the one with the familiar name recognition, John Silver (Luke Arnold, Winners & Losers). We know he’s a treacherous fellow with a selfish streak, someone who will earn Flint’s trust and fear. This dynamic is set up right away in “I.” for Silver, though Flint is barely aware of the younger man’s existence. It’ll be interesting to see when Silver makes his move and in what way.

The rest of the cast is packed with a variety of interesting parts. Captain Vane (Zach McGowan, Shameless) seems like the villain of the piece, at least in its first season, while the motivations of Rackham (Toby Schmitz, The Cookes), another pirate, are more murky. We have Mr. Scott (Hakeem Kae-Kizim, 24), who seems to act more important than he is, and Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New, El tiempo entre costuras), who may do the opposite.

Eleanor does feel like a stock character, the strong woman in an era that didn’t have many of those. Yet she also has a role to play that’s more than two dimensional. There are two other girls in the main cast, too, Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy, The Secret Circle) and Anny Bonny (Clara Paget, Fast & Furious 6), prostitutes with business acumen, who can be described the same way. The women in this show are not wasted or subservient when they don’t want to be, and whether they are historically accurate or not, they will be compelling parts.

There is a lack of suspense in the fates of certain characters because the story of Treasure Island takes place about twenty years after this starts, ensuring the survival of John Silver, Captain Flint, and Billy Bones. We also know this crew will eventually amass a large fortune, so their victory is guaranteed. That is, unless BLACK SAILS decides to toss out its source material and go in a completely original direction, which would be a refreshing surprise, sure to be delivered with great effect.

The challenges BLACK SAILS faces are the same as any prequel, admittedly, but the argument about being disappointed because the lack of stakes figures more prominently here than in other stories because it is such a dangerous tale. There is inherent risk to the pirate life, and we see people killed in the first hour alone. By removing any real threat to the lives of multiple main players, it waters down their story, as well as makes the other main characters more disposable, perhaps leading viewers to be less invested in those who aren’t around for Treasure Island.

Apart from these things, though, BLACK SAILS is an enjoyable and well-made show that I look forward to watching. Its characters and story are better developed than other recent Starz efforts, and the production looks terrific, using physical sets more than CGI (though there’s some of that, too), and building on a grand scale.

BLACK SAILS airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.