Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 10
Duration: 60 min (per episode)
Lovecraft Country: Season 1 (Blu-ray) – Series Review
Since the ‘Lovecraft’ universe became public domain, everyone wants to have a go at their own Lovecraftian (board) game, movie, book or series. We have seen such an influx in the gaming industry during the last year, that nearly every month we reviewed a game that had Lovecraftian influences. This time, we arrive at Lovecraft Country, which clearly indicates where it has gotten its inspiration from. This series, however, combines the well-known creatures from the abyss, with the oppression of Black people in America in the 1950s. We were quite curious to see how this one would turn out.
Even though the story does get complex throughout the course of the ten episodes of season one, the initial premise is actually quite simple. We see Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance) and Letitia Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) go on a trip to find Atticus’ father. They received a message he was in need of help, and thus they set out to Ardham. While the trip itself looked to be going well, it turns quite sour when they find themselves being hunted by racist policemen, clearly out to spill some blood. Close to being shot and left for dead, both the policemen and the group of three are being surrounded by monster-like creatures. This soon becomes a struggle for survival, only to throw a hefty amount of occultism and magic in the mix.
This first season of the show was struggling to find its pace, between all the events that had to unfold throughout the course of the ten episodes. The layer of PC-culture has been laid on quite thickly, to the point that it gets a bit uncomfortable at first. After this initial bombardment, the series starts handling this more naturally, making it very relatable and very interesting to learn about the mistreatment of black people in America. This heavy topic then gets wrapped in the Lovecraftian lore, making it even ghastlier and heavier, making sure you cannot miss a moment, without actually missing vital points of the story. While heavy, it is also a show that pulls you into the chaotic events of the first season, leaving you wanting more. We do find that some gory and ‘dirty’ scenes may be a bit too much, and also again aim for shock-value, rather than story value. However, these sometimes do add to the overall atmosphere of the series.
The cast of Lovecraft Country is actually quite impressive. While many of the cast members will only look familiar, because they often only portrayed smaller parts in bigger productions, they have clearly learned a lot from these past experiences. The male lead is handled by Jonathan Majors, who might actually be one of the least experienced actors of the cast. Nonetheless, he performs his role perfectly and adds a proper dimension to the series. This series has a lot of leading ladies, which is quite nice. While they of course again dive into the subject of female empowerment, which we can only cheer for, they handle it with grace and in a realistic fashion, unlike many newer productions where they shove it in your face. These roles are handled by Jurnee Smollett, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee and Jamie Chung.
When purchasing the Blu-ray version of Lovecraft Country, you’ll find a lot of special features on the last disc of the set. Even though all of these are of the ‘making of’ kind, they are quite impressive to view. These extras range from how they started from the 2016 source material (novel), to what creepy-crawlies we see in the series, to actual practical effects used in the show. It’s quite interesting to see how this series was built from the ground up.
Conclusion
Lovecraft Country: Season 1 is a very interesting experience, and while it starts off smothered in PC-ness, it soon wears off into something more enjoyable, realistic and even relatable. It feels like in the first few episodes the show is trying too hard to prove itself, to finally find its pacing, becoming a very intriguing experience worthy of the Lovecraft name. Even though certain things happen throughout the course of the first season which makes the development of a second season harder, if the series continues forth on its current path, we are quite curious to see what it has in store for us. Those thinking about purchasing this series should be able to handle a reasonable amount of gore, as some scenes are quite gruesome.
Lovecraft Country: Season 1 (Blu-ray) - Series Review,
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