Should You Binge-Watch 'Blood of Zeus'?
Blood of Zeus is a retelling of a Greek myth. Is it worth four hours of your time? This review helps you make this decision.
God is accused of infidelity. A goddess is enraged. Bastards fight divine wars. As usual, many mortals die. Can you think of a plot that’s more dramatic and gripping? I doubt.
Ancient mythology has always offered the best stories. And Greek mythology offers all sorts of twists and turns. Even gods have flaws and are vulnerable to human emotions. This makes for a powerful story. When it is converted into a well made anime series, it has all the possibilities of becoming a huge success.
Of course, I must admit that I am totally unaware of Netflix's metric for deciding whether a show was successful or not. However, if I binge-watch any show, I would definitely give a thumbs up to the production team. It's hard to keep the attention of a guy who gets bored quite easily.
Should you spend fours hours of your life on this show? Well, I am not here to give a yes or no answer. But I'll lay out the facts which could help you to make a choice. I have five parameters to judge a show. Aesthetics, storytelling, music, surprises, characters.
Aesthetics (4/5)
The attire of commoners and gods seems to be well researched by the team. The transformation of Heron from a mortal to a divine figure is gradual and intense. Warriors, gods and demons have a distinct persona. The art team can be given a thumbs up for their efforts. The depiction of Mount Olympus and 'Fates' deserves a thumbs up.
Storytelling (3/5)
The show deploys a non-linear storytelling style to surprise the viewer. It's probably the most common technique to make an ordinary story seem extraordinary. However, one can also mess up a non-linear storyline. Makers of 'Blood of Zeus' haven't made that mistake.
Music (4/5)
The background music amplified the emotions of characters in each scene. Big thumbs up to the musicians and director for getting this right. It sets a good tone to the entire show.
Surprises (3.5/5)
Shifting loyalties, unexpected twists and close fight scenes are the key ingredients of any TV show. Did this show have all of them? Yes. Were all of them impressive? No. Some seemed whimsical and out of place. Of course, I can't reveal any of those. It would spoil your entire viewing experience.
Characters (3/5)
Reckless gods, angry heroes and confused mortals are the three important kinds of characters in the show. Without these, the story wouldn't have panned out the way it did. I didn't find myself rooting for any character. The show was driven by the story and not the characters in it. If that's an important parameter for you, you might not make it till the end.
I hope this helps you make a choice! And I hope that I did not undersell or oversell this latest offering from Netflix.