‘Preacher’ premiere review: AMC’s new comic-book adaptation is here, and it’s bananas
For anyone out there looking for something a little bit different on cable TV, or just another good comic-book adaptation, “Preacher” may satisfy both billings. This new AMC series, who has both Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as executive producers, proved itself within 90 minutes to be a total blast. It’s weird, it’s shocking, it’s gory, and it’s also funny.
The best thing it has going for it is that it holds nothing back. It’s a show that does have an element of the supernatural to it, but at the same time, it’s not overwhelming. There are some grounded moments watching our title hero Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a man trying to make amends through his work for his troubled past. As it turns out, a higher calling does come for the man of God, but it’s not exactly what you would expect. You’ve got Custer, his ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga, who is supremely awesome throughout), and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), an Irish traveler with an extremely thick accent, working to take out the wicked parts of the world. As you would expect, this will also cause Custer to face some more temptations of his own.
This pilot was more of a foundation than anything else, explaining how the parts come together more so than delivering any particular story revelation. The standout in many ways may just be the violence. It’s going to be too much for some, and it’s easy to understand why. This is a rough, grisly show, one where the blood flows openly and hearts are literally ripped out. If you’re down for that sort of things, odds are you loved the well-choreographed action scenes. Tulip’s introduction is particularly spectacular.
To us, “Preacher” almost feels like a mixture of a B-movie and the video game “Borderlands” when it comes to how it combines multiple out-of-place elements really with ease, whether it be faith with violence, or a small West Texas community with powers and creatures. We don’t want to make any grand statements on the show’s future, but for a pilot about a complicated religious viewpoint, this was a hell of a lot of fun and never felt slow. Grade: A-.
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