Critic Reviews

A propulsive, gleefully gory six-episode adventure series.

It is a plot that is reminiscent of nothing more than “Braveheart.” This might make Frontier a little predictable--but it’s a highly entertaining and satisfying journey, too, if you’re in the mood for it. The story is vast and at times either slow or confusing. But it always reads as considered and thoughtful--an adventure epic full of characters, not caricatures.

The series, a joint effort by Netflix and Discovery Canada, is refreshingly free of pretension, unlike some in the genre. Yes, there are serious themes to be drawn from it if you’re so inclined--it’s about greed, and empire-building, and exploitation of a land and its native inhabitants--but you can also feel free to take it as simply an action-packed, rather bloody tale from those frothy preindustrial days.

The actor [Jason Momoa] may be known for his strength, but not even he can overpower the cliche-riddled dialogue and dull plotting. [20 Jan 2017, p.55]

It doesn’t need to be original, but it does need to be distinct. As it stands, however, this Netflix/Discovery Channel Canada original is anything but that.

Frontier is moderately entertaining, but consistently unchallenging.

While Frontier is aesthetically pleasing it doesn’t live up to its potential. The action packed trailer for the series is misleading and side characters easily outshine what’s supposed to be the headliner.

Yet even with Momoa and McClarnon being more central to the action, it’s middling historical drama at best, like the early days of AMC’s Turn or Hell on Wheels.

There is little motivation to keep track of it all, partly because creators Rob and Peter Blackie, who co-wrote two of the season’s six episodes, and Brad Peyton (San Andreas), who directed the first two, hopscotch so often from place to place and moment to moment that it becomes challenging to settle into or invest in any aspect of the story.

None of the characters, however, prove especially interesting, and in an age of abundance, Frontier feels like a decidedly second-tier offering.