Stream It Or Skip It: Gen:Lock On HBO Max, An Animated Series Featuring The Voices Of Michael
When Rooster Teeth’s animated series Gen:Lock premiered in 2019, it became the second most-viewed show on Adult Swim. With an all-star voice cast featuring talent like Michael B. Jordan, David Tennant, Maisie Williams, Dakota Fanning, and more, the show has been renewed for a second season, and its first is now streaming on HBO Max.
GEN:LOCK: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: An animated New York City skyline. A caption tells us “New York City, 2068. The Polity, Protected Free Zone.”
The Gist: In the not-so-distant dystopian future, The Polity fights the hostile Union, a force set on dismantling everything they believe in. Couple Julian Chase (Michael B. Jordan) and Miranda Worth (Dakota Fanning) visit with his mother and sister, but we soon learn they were appearing holographically, and they promise to do this “for real” sometime. The duo are both pilots in The Vanguard, The Polity’s military. After some joking around, the two try to get a moment of romance on base, but they’re soon interrupted by a blaring alarm that informs them it’s time to suit up and get in the air. The Union is targeting New York City. Julian flies to attack from the air, while Miranda
In the scenes that follow, we learn just what kind of weapons The Union is utilizing against The Polity, and how ruthless they truly are. Even in the face of some shocking losses, the team tries to keep it together – and then we jump forward four years. Giant suits of mecha armor called Holons are now becoming the norm in the Vanguard, much to the suspicions of the pilots who know little to nothing about this project. With a scientific research team (David Tennant and Golshifteh Farahani) leading the way, there are more questions than answers for this group of fighters.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Gen:Lock feels like a perfect confluence of Eastern and Western animation; it owes a lot to mecha anime, and feels in line with a lot of titles under that umbrella.
Our Take: It can be difficult to suck someone into a futuristic world, especially when there are so many stories out there trying to do something similar with dystopia. Gen:Lock‘s world feels pretty clearly established early on, even if the world doesn’t seem to be the series’ main concern as the story progresses. This is a show that cares a lot more about its characters than anything else, and while certain other aspects of the series may suffer because of this, that doesn’t mean Gen:Lock‘s love of character is necessarily a bad thing. While there’s obviously a lot left unanswered after the 25 minutes of the pilot, the heart of the show is present. It’s character and relationships, and that’s what winds up setting Gen:Lock apart from other series like this.
Gen:Lock‘s fight sequences feel like they could have been ripped out of any familiar blockbuster these days, and they’re certainly dazzling on the eyes. I do wonder, however, if they might eventually feel like a more cohesive part of the story. While they’re fast-paced and fun to watch, I kept wondering if the fights might integrate with the identity of the characters a little better. This is only the pilot, however, and there is certainly time to get into a better groove when it comes to integrating the series many components.
For the first few minutes of Gen:Lock‘s pilot, I felt like I had to adjust my eyes; it was almost like watching a video game play out, and acclimating to the animation style took a moment. Once I did, however, I found myself totally enthralled. Gen:Lock has a style that feels wholly its own, sharp and layered in a way that suggests the artists behind the series paid it great love and care. Combined with a story that immediately raises a million questions as well as some all-star voices, Gen:Lock wastes very little time reeling you in. In a smart move, HBO Max has been adding to their ever-growing catalogue with strong animated titles, and Gen:Lock is no exception.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: Miranda is stunned as she sees Julian on stage at a presentation, seemingly back from the dead.
Most Pilot-y Line: While Gen:Lock quickly finds its feet, a lot of the opening dialogue is clunky (which is to be expected, I suppose). Things like “one normal visit… just one, that’s all I wanted!”. But it’s mostly forgivable stuff.
Our Call: STREAM IT. With its sharp, dazzling animation style, exciting action sequences, and compelling characters, Gen:Lock more than sells its first episode. We can’t wait to see what happens next.
Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.
Stream Gen:Lock Season 1 on HBO Max
This post first appeared on Nypost.com
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