Loosely based on the Chinese tale “Journey to the West,” the six-hour series “Into The Badlands” follows a warrior and a young boy who journey through a dangerous feudal land together seeking enlightenment.
It comes to us from longtime “Smallville” showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Miller, who also ran 2011’s horrible “Charlie’s Angels” TV reboot and penned the Jackie Chan western “Shanghai Noon.” Their other big-screen writing credits include “Showtime,” “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and “I Am Number Four.”
“Badlands” stars California-born Chinese movie star Daniel Wu, who headed up the international cast of 2013’s “Europa Report.” The AMC project also stars Emily Beecham (“28 Weeks Later”), Sarah Bolger (“Once Upon A Time”), Orla Brady (“American Odyssey”), Ally Ioannides (Dylan on “Parenthood”), Madeleine Mantock (“The Tomorrow People”) and Marton Csokas (“Return of the King,” “Sons of Liberty”).
… it's all empty and overwrought, at times — particularly anything involving Marton Csokas as Quinn, the local baron who employs our hero, futuristic samurai Sunny (Daniel Wu) — bordering on parody. …
... the most ordinary drama the channel has picked up, and the most lightweight since the days of “Remember WENN” almost 20 years ago. …
... The fights, which are bloody, fast and squelchy, quickly become purely choreographic; they're like puzzles to solve in order for the narrative to proceed and, perhaps not oddly, the only time the show feels fun. …
... In its overall sweep and style, “Into the Badlands” struggles to find a bigger idea or compelling narrative that could really draw a crowd and keep it entertained. … just seems like more stiffly melodramatic — if highly disciplined — nonsense.
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... credibility is all but completely lost in translation, replaced by unintended silliness. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... Don’t try to follow it all, just lean back and enjoy the stunning fight sequences and character introductions. (If fight scenes are not your thing, these scenes offer plenty of time to check email or run to the kitchen for a snack.) …
... head-scratchingly dumb … a road trip to nowhere.
... How I wish the rest of “Into the Badlands” rose to the occasion of the phenomenal choreography. The story lines and the characters aren’t disastrous, by any means, but they’re disappointing as they fall into the action, post-apocalyptic, and family-soap formulas we’ve seen many, many times before. …
... a welcome addition to the television scene, especially with action-heavy dramas like “Strike Back” and “Banshee” either finished or on the way out. …
10 p.m. Sunday. AMC.
