Into the Badlands (TV Series) Chapter III: White Stork Spreads Wings (2015) User Reviews

what if Quentin Tarantino had grown up to this show?

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 1 January 2016]

The question is worth asking.

We know that QT worshipped Caradine (Kill Bill -- now appears with hindsight to be his greatest work as he gets worse with each subsequent release) and this was because he watched Kung Fu in the 70s.

Now, your humble reviewer has watched the full KF series, top to bottom, tip to tail, three times in 40 years. And I can tell you that it starts out brilliantly, a perfect mix of philosophy and martial arts, and by the end of the run it becomes 45 minutes of tedious dialog leading up to 4 minutes of fighting.

Gough and Milar (who have done not only Smallville but major features) seem to have decided to experiment with the reverse formula. Minimal plot and arguably some of the best fight scenes on TV today.

What if QT had grown up to THIS? Think about it.

I am.

Getting alive

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 6/10 · 10 May 2017]

Things keep being as simple as possible in episode three of "Into the Badlands". The plot continues to be just pure empty air. However, now that we have got to know a little bit about the characters and their (simple) motivations, things are starting to get more interesting. The characters are as cardboard-cut as they come, and your average action hero, villain, etc... but the actors help elevate a little bit the material. They won't win any award, but embody their characters and bring them to live. M.K. is still a long way from becoming particularly interesting, though, but the story for now helps us overcome this. And the fights are quite good, full to the brim and with lots of energy. The camera work overdoes the overhead shot, but otherwise they are magnificently directed and make us forgive the shortcomings of the plot.