“The Wizards” is based on Lev Grossman’s trilogy of the same name, which I have not read, so I cannot say how accurate this film adaptation is. (His wife suggests that the plot of the series went far beyond books.) The concept seems to be simple, but what is there after “Harry Potter” is already dragged in: in our world there are magic and magicians, and sorcerers have their own educational institutions. And the heroes are just students of this school of magic Brakebills.
“The Wizards” immediately after the release was dubbed “Potterian for adults”. There are two reasons for this: firstly, the characters of the series are no longer schoolchildren, but students, and secondly, in this world wizards live like ordinary people, and do not exist, like Rowling, in their parallel archaic world. That is, before us a typical life of modern students: sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, love polygons, crazy parties, hooligan antics and criminal adventures - and all this is multiplied by magic.
And then there was Clive Lewis's Narnia. There is also a magical Fillory country from children's books, which is quite possible to get into, which wizards do regularly. This country is inhabited by creatures and peoples with more than strange customs and customs that, as a rule, serves as a source of global troubles for other worlds.
However, “Wizards” is not a parody at all, but a completely independent thing. And its strongest side is not the postmodern world, made of ironic references, but heroes. Actors, directors and screenwriters managed to create completely unique characters, each of which has a bright image, a complex contradictory character and a real personality. Quentin (Jason Ralph) is very smart, but pathologically prone to self-digging and depression, which often deprives him of willpower. Julia (Stella Maiv) is a kind girl, but often acts selfishly. The sophisticated and ingenious Eliot (Hail Apleman) is often overconfident. Margot (Summer Bishil), at first glance, is a caricature bitch, rude to everyone around, but in fact she is fearless and ready for self-sacrifice. Penny (Arjun Gupta) is a guy shirt, always cheerful and ready to come to the rescue, while too often he acts rashly, following the lead of emotions. Kady (Jade Taylor) seems like a real "iron lady," but she has a dark past with drugs. Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) is an idealist, science fanatic, entangled in her complicated relationship with her parents. Feng (Brittany Curren) looks like a village simpleton, but when it comes to real trials, she will always help find a way out. Josh (Trevor Einhorn) looks soft-bodied and frivolous, but his sharp mind and cheerful nature are indispensable during brainstorms on how to once again prevent the end of the world. Once again, a huge thank you to these actors and everyone else for the beloved heroes. And the villains, by the way, too - they are devilishly charismatic here.
Many TV series suffer from protractedness, when the plot is stretched endlessly, filling the series with meaningless “water” and only at the end of each throwing the viewer another cliffhanger so that interest does not cool down. Well, the Wizards are definitely not like that. Despite the fact that the plot here is through, each episode is a short finished story and not just stomping around waiting for the grand finale. Events here in each episode would sometimes be enough for other projects for a whole season.
Special effects at the proper level, although sometimes still on the "miracles" clearly save. It is difficult to say, it is a modest budget, or just the creators of the film did not want to distract the audience from acting empty "fireworks". In any case, this is not as perplexing as in the early seasons of Game of Thrones, where there were no mass battles or particularly spectacular computer graphics under Hollywood budgets.
It should be noted one of the main "chips" The Wizards: There is a musical series in every season. I don’t like operas and musicals, but musical numbers are always convenient and so witty that they deserve praise. In addition, the artists (especially Hale Apleman and Jade Taylor) just great voices, and they sing great.
Yes, in line with modern trends, most of the central characters are girls, and men among them mostly belong to sexual or national minorities. But in "The Wizards" it is not annoying, unlike other modern films and TV series, because none of the characters is not without flaws, and the same feminism, for example, is shown quite ironically (in the example of Margot, although there is a really strong physically and morally Cady, but she does not boast about her belonging to the female sex and does not humiliate men). And the girls are quite feminine and charming.
Is there anything to criticize this series for? Well, a lot of chopped off side storylines and not fired “guns Chekhov”. For example, in the fourth season so long kept the intrigue – who is the Monster and what is his name? My wife and I have put forward a hundred assumptions about who he is – from Satan and Cain to Prometheus and Dracula (although, then remembered that Prometheus is already in the series and it is not him). And the explanation of the essence of the Monster was disappointing – I won’t spoil it, but it has nothing to do with mythology, and his real name remained a mystery (or maybe he did not have it). However, with so many characters and side storylines, it is not surprising to miss something.
What is this series about and what can it teach? First of all, I think about love and friendship as the main creative forces in any of the worlds. As well as the fact that it is impossible to judge rashly – everyone has a “light” and “dark” side, and anyone can be understood (but not always justified). Young people can look at themselves from the outside and not repeat the mistakes of the heroes in their actions and relationships. And older audiences like me can just reminisce about their tumultuous university youth.
“The Wizards” is an excellent urban (and not so) fantasy about a magical school, aimed at a youth audience. Fascinating, ironic and psychological, with great acting and a twisted plot. The bonus is a good soundtrack. A somewhat careless approach to secondary storylines can be forgiven.
9 out of 10
Original