Note: Of Kings and Prophets premieres tonight at 10/9c on ABC. This is an advance review with minimal spoilers.
Of Kings and Prophets is the type of show that would have thrived in 2006 -- a hyper-violent, hyper-sexual retelling of the Biblical Books of Samuel, complete with slow-motion action scenes, sepia color grading and a one-woman wail for the soundtrack. These days, it would probably be compared to HBO's Game of Thrones, but honestly the new series bears more of a resemblance to movies like Gladiator, Troy and 300 -- only not as edgy because it's 2016 and on network TV.
But despite its passé tendencies, ABC's Old Testament drama has familiarity on its side, including well-known figures like King Saul (Ray Winstone), David of Bethlehem (Olly Rix), Michal (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), the Prophet Samuel (Mohammad Bakri) and Goliath (Garth Collins). That said, they're probably only familiar to kids who paid attention in Sunday school, and even then the characters have been sexed up and machismo'd beyond recognition. (Suffice to say, some Christian viewers won't be happy with this depiction.)
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Of Kings and Prophets is the type of show that would have thrived in 2006 -- a hyper-violent, hyper-sexual retelling of the Biblical Books of Samuel, complete with slow-motion action scenes, sepia color grading and a one-woman wail for the soundtrack. These days, it would probably be compared to HBO's Game of Thrones, but honestly the new series bears more of a resemblance to movies like Gladiator, Troy and 300 -- only not as edgy because it's 2016 and on network TV.
But despite its passé tendencies, ABC's Old Testament drama has familiarity on its side, including well-known figures like King Saul (Ray Winstone), David of Bethlehem (Olly Rix), Michal (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), the Prophet Samuel (Mohammad Bakri) and Goliath (Garth Collins). That said, they're probably only familiar to kids who paid attention in Sunday school, and even then the characters have been sexed up and machismo'd beyond recognition. (Suffice to say, some Christian viewers won't be happy with this depiction.)
Continue reading…
Continue reading...