Two of the most defining pieces of post-apocalyptic storytelling from the past decade are Mad Max: Fury Road And death strand; One imagines a future of vehicular mayhem across a desolate desert, while the other is a whimsical exploration of just how important home deliveries will be in the end of the world. black knight, a new action series on Netflix, is what happens when you blend these two worlds together. It doesn’t reach the heights of either, but it does offer its own perspective on our climate-change-fueled future — a future that just so happens to be a blast to watch.
black knight It takes place 40 years after a comet crashes into Earth, poisoning the air and turning the Korean Peninsula into a bleak desert. The few survivors are divided between strict class lines. The rich live in a domed city where air and plant life flow freely, while the middle-class equivalent lives in endless rows of concrete houses. Others, called refugees, are forced to live in the desert.
Keeping Things Together They are the carriers that bring much-needed food and oxygen into people’s homes. It is not only a necessary mission but also a dangerous one as the delivery trucks are constantly under attack from raiders in the desert. This combination turns the Couriers into folk heroes of the modern era, risking their lives for the good of the rest of society. One, known simply as 5-8 (Kim Woo-bin), achieved legendary status after fighting off entire gangs of raiders single-handedly. It seems obvious that you shouldn’t mess with the 5-8, but the Raiders never seem to learn their lesson.
The story follows two main threads that, of course, intersect at the end. Soon, he’ll be joined by 5-8 Sa-Wol (Kang You-seok), a refugee who adores couriers and does whatever it takes to become one and help those stranded in the desert. Meanwhile, the Korean government and a giant corporation known as the Chunmyeong Group are working side by side to move the citizens to a new, larger location, but they are at odds on how to proceed. The biggest problem is the heir, Chun Myung Ryu Suk (Song Seung Hyun), who despises the poor and hopes to transform this new town into his own vision of an ideal society.
black knight He is at his best when focused on business and personal risks. There are some great matches and a deadly, stellar run that looks like what would happen if he played George Miller blur. 5-8 is basically indestructible, for reasons that are never explained other than that he’s strong and skilled, and it’s so much fun watching a good guy overcome impossible odds while also delivering oxygen to his elders. The show also has a great cast of characters. Sa-Wol is a goofy, but serious and determined person, and his friends from the desert have a nice, warm relationship. 5-8 has a kind of stoic big brother, while Ryu Seok is an absolute dick, the kind of classic evil suit you like to root against. His disdain for pretty much everyone else is a sight to behold.
Unfortunately, it gets off track at times, trying to cram too few ideas into a short runtime. The conspiracy theory behind the big relocation plan keeps the story moving with strong momentum, but it gets sidetracked by threads about mutants, kidnappings, and vaccines that are either underdeveloped or unnecessary. Fortunately, in only six episodes, black knight He doesn’t have enough time to get it also Off the rails. By the time the finale rolls around, you’re back to tense, white-knuckle action and surprising character moments.
It’s not a show that people are likely to remember as fondly as their inspiration, and I wish it was more focused and made a bigger deal about the machinations of climate change (rather than blaming the culprit). but black knight It still manages to rise above being another post-world story and become something surprisingly new – and it just has to wait Death Stranding 2 a little easier.
black knight Streaming now on Netflix.
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