CinemaBlind’ Review – 90%
Gen V definitely has one of the best origin stories for a leading character in any movie or TV series. Spin-off to the hit anti-superhero series The Boys, Gen V is set in Vought’s Godolkin University aka “God U” and it follows the story of a group of young supes trying to learn how to be real heroes. But it is set in The Boys universe, so it couldn’t just be that as we see our heroes getting tangled in a conspiracy that might be too big for them to handle on their own.
Created by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Craig Rosenberg and show run by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, Gen V has all the qualities The Boys fans were hoping for and a bit more. The spin-off series comfortably builds on The Boy’s themes with its own weird and fresh spin. The black comedy that we all love in the original series is present in Gen V in its own way, which makes the series feel different yet connected to The Boys. All of the gore and blood that we love in The Boys is also present in Gen V, and there are also some weird moments that might make you turn your eyes from the screen.
I have seen six out of eight episodes of the first season of Gen V, and while I don’t have many criticisms for the show. I can say that it does take some time before it finally finds its path on which it wants to go. This might make you question if Gen V is doing its own thing or trying to merge with the original series at some point in the future, but I would recommend that you put those thoughts aside for just a little bit and stick with the series because it is one of the wildest series both visually and from a storytelling point that you will ever see.
The performances from the core cast of Gen V were, to say the least great. Jazz Sinclair brings her A-game as Marie Moreau, as well as all of her classmates. But the standout character for me was absolutely Lizze Broadway‘s Emma Meyer aka Little Cricket. Broadway and the writers of the series have definitely made up their minds to make her the fan-favorite character. The ensemble cast also includes Chance Perdomo as Andre Anderson, Shelley Conn as Indira Shetty, Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap, London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan aka Golden Boy, Asa Germann as Sam, and Alexander Calvert as Rufus.
In conclusion, Gen V is a great addition to The Boys universe. It can be enjoyed by The Boys’ existing fanbase as well as newcomers who are just here for a teen superhero drama series. Gen V doesn’t make you feel like The Boys franchise is over-extending itself because of its effortless charm and characters that you can actually root for.
Gen V premiers with its first three episodes on Prime Video on September 29. Check out the official trailer and synopsis for Gen V below:
Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?