Critic Reviews

Syfy, Warner Bros., and DC took a big swing with this project, but it seems like the time and money were good investments. This Superman fan is happy with how it’s starting, at the very least, and there’s a lot of potential here.

Cuffe lends a scruffiness to Seg-El that’s well matched by Shawn Sipos’ Adam Strange. We’re not in want of superhero stories, but this is a well-done prequel that adds some dirty layers to the history of a comic book icon primarily known as a Boy Scout.

Krypton is a show split between two different concepts, and that lack of commitment shows in the first five episodes. But those unfamiliar with the comics will find plenty to enjoy, as the plot gets twistier and twistier.

The number of betrayals and reversals in the next two episodes are enough to twist any sane viewer into a pretzel.

To be clear, Krypton is good, not super. Yet based on first impressions, that "S"-like symbol could just as easily stand for "surprising" and "satisfying."

Krypton is nowhere nearly as nuanced--“Battlestar” frequently wasn’t either, for that matter--and in its opening hour trains much of its focus on building a soap opera bridge to the ancestral history of Earth’s greatest champion. But it is heartening to see a Syfy series take advantage of our ongoing fascination with the DC Universe, and other comic book properties, to attempt to make a statement about where we are and the possible dangers that lie ahead.

It falls into certain trappings, seemingly being obsessed with the concepts of ranks and guilds just as many sci-fi and fantasy tales are. Granted, it does work in these confines, but I tired of it quickly. ... To get the most out of this series, you’re going to need to enjoy both the military and political intrigue as well as Seg-El’s journey.

Krypton’s special effects are pretty impressive throughout the first five episodes made available for review. But the overall storyline begins to bog down rather badly in the latter hours, making Krypton seem like too much of a slog en route to a seemingly long-in-coming payoff that’s already set in stone.

The series eventually begins to click but the pacing is slow, the action is sporadic and the special effects are, well, not all that special. ... Campbell and Ogbomo, and the battle of wills between daughter and mom, are consistently more interesting than Seg-El’s machinations to restore his family honor.

The idea of focusing on Supeman’s grandfather, instead of his father, Jor-El, might mean there is a lot of room for story with this series and its lineage. But the show’s first few episodes have a nagging inconsequential air to them, as I wonder might be the overall case if Krypton doesn’t start putting its good intent toward a more innovative cause.