Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 8
Duration: 58 min (per episode)
The Penguin (Blu-ray) – Series Review
Robert Pattinson surprised the world by going from sparkling vampire heartthrob in the Twilight Saga to the Caped Crusader in 2022’s The Batman. Fans were rather divided, as some heavily disliked this new rendition of Batman, while others loved the very gritty atmosphere and the dark approach to some of the franchise’s popular characters. We, for one, really enjoyed this new take on the popular superhero story. The supposed 2025 release of the sequel was postponed to 2027, but we did get some new content in the form of the spin-off series, The Penguin. The Penguin is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD, and we were lucky enough to receive a review copy.
What happens in The Penguin transpires shortly after the events of 2022’s The Batman movie. The Falcone crime family is in disarray after Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong) has been killed, and it’s up to Albero Falcone (Michael Zegen) to fill his father’s shoes. Alberto, however, has always been somewhat of a disappointment due to his drug addiction and the fact that he would rather go out partying than help his father. Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) was Carmine’s right hand for many years, but he feels destined to be higher up the food chain. When breaking into Carmine’s facility to open the safe, he is caught by Alberto. As Oswald has a knack for words, he convinces Alberto that he was actually opening the safe for him. After Alberto places his trust in Oswald, they decide to have an evening drinking to honor Carmine. When Alberto makes fun of Oswald and what he hopes to achieve in the future, Oswald guns down the new family’s don. He realizes he has messed up big time, and tries to dispose of the body. At that exact moment, some local thugs are trying to steal the rims of his car, and he scares them off, except for one. This happens to be Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), who gets roped into helping Oswald get rid of the body.
While successfully disposing of the body, Oswald feels that Victor can be a useful asset. The next day, Oswald is summoned to go to the Carmine estate to receive new instructions. He is told that his entire drug operation has to be terminated and moved somewhere else. He tries to convince the higher-ups that this is a bad move, but he is brushed aside. The meeting gets interrupted by Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), Alberto’s sister. She has recently been released from Arkham Asylum after being accused of murdering quite a few people. She asks Oswald if he has seen her brother, which Oswald tries to deny. Sofia knows something is up, and this is also where the mind games and power plays truly begin.
The Penguin is a slow series, as you’ll learn more about Oswald’s past and his rise to becoming one of the crime lords of Gotham. Even so, the series never feels dull or as if it crawls along, as there is always interesting story exposition or action. The character (d)evolution here is rather impressive, and it serves well as a spin-off series for 2022’s The Batman movie. After the credits of the eighth episode start rolling, one could argue that Oswald’s story deserves a second season, but we reckon this will tie into the upcoming second movie. The gritty atmosphere of Matt Reeves’ version of the Batman story is also very present in The Penguin. It’s somewhat of a ‘dirty’ series in terms of violence and how characters behave, but it perfectly suits this modern version of Gotham.
Even though The Penguin has a great cast backing up the production, you’ll mainly see Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and Rhenzy Feliz stealing the show. While one may argue that Colin Farrell looks nothing like himself underneath all those prosthetics and make-up when playing Oswald, it makes it all the more impressive to see how realistically he can act underneath all those feature-altering cosmetics. One truly grows to hate his character throughout the eight episodes of The Penguin, even with certain scenes that may redeem his character in the long run. Rhenzy Feliz plays the somewhat gullible Victor Aguilar very well, creating a believable picture of a troubled young adult who wants to make a name for himself. Sofia Falcone, as played by Cristin Milioti, is a well-rounded character who has more to offer than what we initially assume. The so-called crazy serial killer proves to be an interesting addition to the story, and was perhaps one of the characters we ended up rooting for.
The Blu-ray version of The Penguin comes with a lot of bonus content. Each of the three discs of this box set has special features, mostly revolving around the creative process that went on behind the scenes. You’ll see in-depth featurettes that talk about each episode individually, but also general making-of content and cast opinions. While most of the available extras could probably be part of a bigger making-of sequence, it was still interesting to browse through the additional bonus material. This alone makes it rather interesting to pick up a physical copy instead of limiting yourself to streaming the show.
Conclusion
The Penguin is a great mini-series that ties into Matt Reeves’ rendition of The Batman. Colin Farrell plays a very convincing villain in this follow-up series, and we hope to see him appear in the next Batman movie. If you are a fan of crime series with a hefty dose of violence, then we reckon this is a series for you. Even for those who aren’t necessarily fans of superheroes, The Penguin feels fairly realistic and manages to drive you to the edge of your seat.
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