Review - Twisted Metal: Season 2

Directed by: Phil Sgriccia, Bill Benz, Iain B. MacDonald, Bertie Ellwood

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Anthony Carrigan

Go Horror Rating: C

Cards on the table here, I actually liked the first season more than I did this one. That doesn't necessarily mean much because I think both seasons were decent at best. One of my favourite video game series of all time just feels like it got the shaft with this adaptation.

Notable characters from this season were: John Doe, Sweet Tooth, Calypso, Mayhem, Dollface, Axel, and Dave

Inferior characters from this season were: Quiet, Mr. Grimm, Vermin, Stu, Raven

The show is corny and the action scenes weren't even entertaining in a comical way. I get that the show is supposed to be a mashed potato sandwich with comedy, horror, and action but I just didn't find that any of those 3 elements blended or fed off each other. Vehicular combat is a hard thing to film and pull off, so I can't bury the entirety of those action sequences, but it definitely felt C grade with a B budget.

Elite killers from across the Divided States, the absolute best in the murder-filled wastelands, and no one can take out a fucking PT Cruiser with machine guns and rocket launchers?!? I'm almost positive a 9-year-old in a Fisher Price foot-car and a nerf gun could have done more damage than what these slayers were doing. Aside from the absurd car-fighting, the writing and acting were well below average. Mackie isn't winning any awards for his acting in this but he's goofy enough and confident enough to get through the shit script. I don't love the chemistry between the mains so thankfully we had some secondary characters help carry this season. Mayhem, Axel and Calyspo were fun to watch but Grimm and Vermin were terribly annoying and drove me insane. It just felt like everyone else was there... just... there.

One part of the season that could have been a lot more tense was when Calypso unleashed the Apocalypse 9. I thought this was an awesome angle but it ended up tripping all over itself. The robotic killers went from terrifying to easily dispatched in an anticlimactic way. I just felt there needed to be more animosity and violence between the contestants and not PG conversations with zero moxie.

Like Commodus in 'Gladiator', Calyspo had some tricks up his sleeve during the final arena battle. The only issue (aside from the dogshit car battle itself), was the big surprise... MINION! This battle should have been a lot more nutty but even though he was seemingly indestructible, he looked like a retro YTV character and didn't invoke enough terror.

At the end of the season, I appreciated it on a very surface-level of entertainment. I am genuinely surprised at the general consensus for the show. I'm not excited for a third season but I will absolutely watch it whenever it does come out.