The rate of television premieres of Netflix so far in 2023 it has been somewhat lower than usual on the platform in terms of series spoken in English. The first novelty to arrive was ‘Those wonderful 90’ on January 19, a day later it was the turn of ‘Lawless neighborhood’ and this Friday, January 27, it will arrive on the platform ‘Lockwood Agency’in direct competition with the recommendable ‘The snow girl’.
Adaptation of the successful literary saga written by Jonathan Stroud, ‘Lockwood Agency’ comes at a time when public confidence in Netflix is at an all-time low, to the point that a fairly widespread reaction to the release of its trailer was to assume that the platform was going to cancel it very soon. Let’s hope that’s not the case, since this is a rather stimulating series that from the first moment manages to balance its youthful approach and its supernatural component satisfactorily.
Introducing a universe of your own
A priori, ‘Lockwood Agency’ could be nothing more than a kind of adolescent response to ‘Ghostbusters’, but the truth is that the similarities do not go beyond the fact that the protagonists of both productions are dedicated to hunting down ghosts, apparitions or similar. This is something that is already perceived in its first episode, in which the present and past alternate to introduce us to both the universe that the series poses and Lucy, the character that led to Ruby Stokes leave ‘The Bridgertons’.
Behind it all we have Joe Cornish (‘Attack the Block’), who has been in charge of the adaptation work of Stroud’s novels, also taking care of writing and directing the first episode of ‘Lockwood Agency’. Obviously, his hand is more noticeable in that chapter of the three that I have been able to see so far -the first season consists of eight-, but at all times it is clear that there is someone determined in charge and that we are not going to find another insipid series here. in the vein of ‘The Irregulars’.
One thing the series does very well is grab your attention from the very first moment., since it is increasingly common for series to take season 1 as a kind of extensive introduction and neglect the need to hook a viewer so that they do not get off the boat at the first opportunity. Here, a powerful prologue is chosen, in which it is also clear that there is going to be an above-average visual display of this type of Netflix production, to later lay the foundations.
A convincing foundation
As I mentioned before, this leads to the first episode focuses on Lucy, let’s learn about her motivations, how she was forced to train to hunt ghosts and a tragedy that will mark her forever. All this presented in an agile way but without falling into the superficial and also giving enough voice to her protagonist so that she is something more than that character necessary for everything to move forward.
That feeling also ends up extending to Anthony Lockwood (cameron chapman) and George (Ali Hadji-Heshmati), the other two members of the agency that Lucy will end up joining. And it is that one of the keys of ‘Agencia Lockwood’ is having a leading trio with charm and chemistry between them. It is true that for now it is not something so marked as to make the series worthwhile only for them, but it is a welcome addition that helps to elevate it above the usual.
Also, this is something that grows little by little as the episodes progress, making it clear that we are not going to be facing static characters, especially with regard to their confidence -the agency that gives the series its title has little experience in its supernatural adventures-. There, the one with the most room to maneuver is Stokes, who quickly becomes the character of Lucy and hits the exact key to reflect her particularities from the first moment, knowing very well when she has to show her most fragile side and when it is time to reach out. of determination.
Other details of ‘Agencia Lockwood’
Regarding the universe presented by ‘Agencia Lockwood’, it is true that It would be appreciated to go a little more into the specific details of this universebut it does show enough of its own personality and it is also introducing new elements little by little to go more progressively.
Regarding the more technical work, ‘Lockwood Agency’ looks good but it is true that a little more budget would have suited him luxuriously to aspire to higher heights. However, perhaps those responsible for the series themselves have wanted to bet on something like this, since by adjusting the costs there are more possibilities of avoiding the scythe of Netflix at the first opportunity -that they say that they have never canceled a successful series but they have not few doubt that statement.
To go into more specific details, the series presents a good range of exteriors to present this alternative version of london and that the story does not focus too much on what happens in closed spaces, although these have a lot of weight. In addition, visually it works well when it comes to giving enough weight to its most terrifying elements, but don’t expect anything comparable to the beginning of ‘Stranger Things’, either, for example, it’s not close to what ‘Supernatural’ did about it in its best years.
There you can also see that ‘Lockwood Agency’ is a series aimed at young audiences, but at least it doesn’t emasculate that aspect, it simply gives it the strictly necessary importance, without lending itself to great technical fanfare either. However, it is still an introduction and it is clear that the threats will grow as the chapters go by. For now it is more the icing on the cake in the fun that it seeks to convey to the viewer.
In short
A priori, ‘Lockwood Agency’ has everything to be the next Netflix original bombshell. She is always entertaining, has charming main characters, presents her own universe that arouses interest, and also triumphs in her youthful approach by introducing other elements to enhance her own personality. However, that does not guarantee anything and we will have to be attentive to see if the platform has found its next television franchise here or if in a few weeks we are already talking about its cancellation…
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