Chris Pratt He had already made a name for himself as a television actor when his career changed forever thanks to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. The Marvel movie almost automatically made him a movie star, something that would be confirmed shortly after with the tremendous success of ‘Jurassic World’. Since then he had left the small screen aside with the exception of an episodic appearance in ‘Mom’ when he was still a couple. anna faris.
For this reason, his signing for ‘The Final List’ was quite an event, partly because it made him one of the highest-paid television actors of all time. 1.4 million dollars has been pocketed for each of its eight episodes, so it was clear that Amazon expected it to become one of its most successful series to date. They are on their way to achieving it -although it gives me that ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ will crush the data it gets-, but artistically it is somewhere in between. It is neither one of the best nor one of the worst on the platform.
forceful and direct
Adaptation of the novel Jack Carr, ‘The final list’ is a series whose intentions seem to be closer to certain action movies of the 80s (and part of the 90s) than to what is more fashionable in recent years. Surely no one would have been surprised to see Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal at the head of a story of these characteristics in which everything revolves around relentless revenge. Add to that a military component, both to justify its own premise and to explain the abilities of its protagonist, and what we are left with is a title with a clear reactionary component, although that is not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, the best thing about the show is that it doesn’t beat around the bush and Chris Pratt’s character executes his plan every chance he gets. The eye for an eye policy motivates his actions and that gives rise to dry and forceful action scenes in which there is no room for unnecessary choreography. A good shot, an explosion or a well-given milk is all it takes to keep going. That indisputable balance between intentions and results is there at all times, but it does not prevent ‘The Final List’ It becomes monotonous at times.
One thing evident in the series is the attempt to look for dirty realism instead of enhancing the idea of the spectator’s empathy with the protagonist. Here Pratt plays a character that is difficult for the public to like, but that is something that ‘The Final List’ almost seems to yearn for. A curious decision that gives its best returns in the final stretch of the series, but before that there is a phase after the powerful first episode that can make more than one disconnect from what they are telling us.
Drawbacks and virtues of ‘The final list’
The series becomes a gray show there, since it is then when the protagonist has to go making the necessary inquiries to be able to know who he has to end up with. And initially it lacks that dramatic impact necessary for the first victims on his list to leave some kind of mark, not to mention the little effect achieved by the flashbacks used to influence more in the personal life of Pratt’s character.
Nor the journalistic plot led by constance wu It really gets our attention, because one of the main problems of the series is that it seems to neutralize the talent of its cast. It is true that Pratt is convincing as a relentless killing machine, but beyond that there are several actors that one knows about who can give much more of themselves and who here seem doomed to monotony. Perhaps the only exception is taylor kitschwho manages to bring some humanity to the whole, but it’s not like he gets to shine.
Fortunately, there comes a point where that dry and unceremonious action raises a somewhat rickety plot base, since everything related to that great conspiracy behind what happened clicks into the bone, and allows the series to unleash. For example, seeing Pratt channel his inner Rambo is unexpectedly exhilarating – he had always believed that he was not one to get serious, but here is the closest he gets to being convincing in a role with that approach – especially when it becomes clear that all he cares about is crossing the names off that list that gives the series its title.
It is also true that it is still a pity that Antoine Fuqa only directed the first episode, because then the action may rise again and function as the main claim, but there is no scene that will remain engraved in your memory. I can only imagine what he would have been capable of when everything came crashing down considering that the last act of ‘The Equalizer 2’ is one of the great milestones of the genre in recent years.
In short
‘The final list’ begins strongly, then loses interest for several chapters but manages to redirect the feeling and ends up leaving a more positive than negative taste in the mouth. Obviously I wasn’t expecting a comedic touch to lighten up in certain situations because it just didn’t fit here, but what I’m also not going to overlook is a dramatic charge that goes beyond mediocre in several episodes and almost lost me for the cause.
If you have been wanting to see something else on Amazon, take a look at our list of the best movies on the platform of 2022 or that of its most outstanding series of the year.