Twisted Metal is not technically a good show, but it is fun and entertaining in a way that makes it worth checking out.
Video game adaptations are never easy. They are instantly compared to the franchise by players of all levels — hardcore fans to casual players. All too often the storylines that the games themselves follow are nearly impossible to translate to the screen in a way that will be entertaining in the medium, so things need to be adjusted and changed. Sometimes it works, more often than not it doesn’t.
Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Twisted Metal would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.
When the first images and clips from Peacock’s Twisted Metal was released, they were attacked. It didn’t seem anything like the well loved gaming franchise, and many fans vowed to never even give it a shot. This is your sign to watch at least the first few episodes to see if it is your cup of tea. While it does harness some of the feel of the games, and it certainly includes characters and Easter eggs, it does something different as well. It might not be perfect, or even conventionally good, but it is still fun and entertaining.
The face of Twisted Metal is pretty much Sweet Tooth. Yes, there are other characters, and there are other fan favorites, but the sadistic clown has always been the front man for it. So of course, they couldn’t do a series without him. And while he delivers most of the ridiculously nasty and insane kills, there is something off about him that never works in season one, and that is his voice.
Sweet Tooth has to be played by a big dude, there is no doubt about that. And he is. However he is voiced by someone completely different. And not just anyone. Will Arnett. This man is such a well known actor, with a recognizable voice, that it never makes sense to hear his voice coming out of Sweet Tooth’s mask. Never. It throws off his whole feel. Will does a decent enough job, don’t get me wrong, but why couldn’t Samoa Joe be the body and voice of the character? What was the point of bringing Arnett in?
If you are able to move past that, though, Twisted Metal season one offers quite a bit of post-apocalyptic fun and entertainment. There are wild chase scenes, bloody kills, and even a love story. Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz have good chemistry and are clearly having a lot of fun in these roles, which translates through the screen.
Is the plot predictable? Yes. Does it end on a note that seems as if it is trying to go way too serious when it should remain campy? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t something to curl up to on a Friday night with a bucket of popcorn and just laugh and roll your eyes.
You know how they say some things are so bad, they are good? That is what you get with Twisted Metal. There are cringe moments, some lines are utterly ridiculous, but at the same time you get to watch some sweet action and laugh at how insane this show is.
Sure, Twisted Metal season one is mediocre at best. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it. It isn’t as bad as you think it will be. That I can promise you.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
NEXT: Only Murders In The Building Season 3 Review: Another Hit
About Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal, a half-hour live-action TV series based on the classic PlayStation game series, is a high-octane action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and written by Michael Jonathan Smith, about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
With the help of a badass axe-wielding car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.
