A Fun Yet Unremarkable Ride
Summary
Citadel feels like a lot of other spy shows mixed together but there are some cool action scenes and twists to keep things interesting. Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas look great on screen together and the ending demands another season, so we can see what happens next.
Plot: Global spy agency Citadel has fallen, and its agents’ memories were wiped clean. Now the powerful syndicate, Manticore, is rising in the void. Can the Citadel agents recollect their past and summon the strength to fight back?
Review: I never hear anyone talking about the Amazon series Citadel and every review I’ve read is middling to bad, so I went in with low expectations; it certainly copies from other, better movies and TV shows with several clichés and clunky dialogue but I was pleasantly surprised as the series has the right amount of action and intrigue to keep me interested for all 6 episodes. The fact it’s such a short season was also a big help.
Citadel feels like Richard Madden’s audition for 007 and I think he would be well cast too; he has great chemistry with Prianka Chopra Jonas and they are easy to watch on screen together.
I don’t think it’s an amazing television show but it has some enjoyable action scenes including fights, explosions and a very Bond-ian escape down a mountain on skis with bad guys in pursuit. There are several twists throughout so we are never quite sure who to trust which keeps things interesting. There is the odd pacing issue and a bit too much of the action is CG enhanced which does take you out of it at times.
Stanley Tucci practically steals the show as he always does where he is a mixture of M and Q providing intel to Mason Kane (Madden) and Nadia (Chopra Jonas).
It’s surprisingly violent and the fight choreography is decent with some impressive stunts too.
What’s interesting is that despite our leads looking good neither character is especially likeable although it’s understandable considering everything they go through and the type of work they do. No one is 100% good or evil here and I always find shades of grey in characters makes these kinds of tales more enjoyable.
I don’t want to say much more in case of spoilers but Citadel isn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d heard and is a fun spy story with enough action to keep you entertained.
Overall, Citadel has some enjoyable action scenes and it’s an easy to watch spy caper with Madden proving he has the chops to potentially play Bond or at least do more action roles and with that twist ending I hope we get a season 2. I know there is a Spyverse coming as part of the Citadel expanded universe with a new series called Citadel: Diana due next year so I’ll be intrigued to see what that’s like.
