While it’s not always as exciting as it sounds, there is a delightfully cartoonish nature in the world. Black Knight this contrasts with the darkness of its dystopian premise. Some of this makes sense - considering it’s actually based on a webtoon - but it also gets a lot broader than that. There may be some who will try to superficially compare it to another South Korean series, such as squid game because of how it introduces dangerous competition, but a more appropriate starting point would be a masterpiece that Mad Max: Fury Road. Although none of the six episodes Black Knight are as ambitious and confident as this film is, with some of its special effects often frankly empty, there is still an enduring charm to the experience that breaks free in some of the more chaotic sequences. When the action starts to pick up pace and the series begins to focus on a brewing uprising that will change the world as the characters know it, this is where Black Knight really finds its place. It takes a little time to get there, but in the end the journey does pay off.
Set in the year 2071, after an asteroid crash that killed most of the population and turned much of the Korean Peninsula into a place where the air is poisonous to all survivors, life is defined by near-constant danger. Whether it’s air or a malevolent force vying for power, the foundations of this rebuilt society are fragile. The only thing that holds everything together are the famous knights who serve as drivers, delivering the necessary resources to the survivors. One of them is the legendary 5-8, which is played with due composure and composure. Kim Woo Bin from a recent movie alienoid. Everything you need to know about him can be found in one scene where he drives his huge car through a desert landscape, smoking. It’s a silly image given all the state of the air quality, but it still manages to make it work. When he establishes a connection with the absurd Sa-vol, whom he plays with youthful sincerity Kang Yoo-seok, he begins to see how this already painful world can plunge into darkness even more. 5-8 then begins training a young child to become a delivery driver himself, one with the potential to become an integral part of the fight against the increasingly corrupt forces that control every aspect of their lives.
Another recent work that seems particularly similar to most Black Knight series currently airing Silage. Both are adaptations of previous works, in which the characters try to survive what is essentially the end of the world while learning the truth about a potential conspiracy at the same time. Although Silage much more restrained and, as a result, more effective, each of them is interested in how society itself has become stratified. Not surprisingly, the wealthy have managed to secure a much better existence for themselves by suppressing those below them in order to maintain this lifestyle. Black Knight not always the most tactful in how he teases it, but it all fits his more cartoonish sensibility. In many ways, the spectacle is part of what it is trying to convey. When Sa-wol enters the tournament to become a delivery driver, the action in one of the car chase scenes is the best ever before or since. That this is part of a well-articulated ploy to distract the people of this world from the fast-approaching danger turns it into something more poignant. Even when Sa-vol thinks he’s fighting for a just cause and finally gets to a place where he can make a difference, he is initially used as a pawn in a game that is bigger than he realizes.
As 6-5 and the rest of his delivery drivers turn into freedom fighters, the playing field begins to level where the series is at its best. Sure, the scene where he trains Sa-wol by hitting baseballs is fun, but it’s less exciting than the later episodes, which we don’t have much time for. One plan involving a convincing lure and a substitute is executed with the proper command of audacity to land perfectly. There are a lot of darker moments, including one where 6-5 don’t know about the planned attack until it’s too late, but there are also more goofy moments. Some of it has to do with the music, but it also has to do with the comic characters. While they risk becoming quite annoying at first, they eventually become an integral part of the show and bring a lot of soul along with goofy humor. As sinister forces gather to destroy the already precarious existence of humans, we are getting the necessary glimpses of joy in a community that has survived.
There is a degree of detachment from the show’s premise, and the world isn’t as visually appealing as one might hope. Technical flaws ultimately hold back its thematic elements, undermining the exciting potential of its worldbuilding. When the characters are outside, at some points you can see cracks in the effects that start to show. There are also so many scenes where the characters are just inside that it gets to the point where even the show feels like it has forgotten its central premise. This is eventually patched up just like the rest of the story, with plenty of more action-packed sequences on the outside - such as when 6-5 have to fight enemies in and around a convoy of cars - although this still holds back the narrative at key points. However, given that the series is short, the less thoughtful episodes are soon forgotten as the plot picks up pace. When Black Knight manages to accelerate from its sometimes overloaded settings and gives its best elements a chance to breathe, it’s works like a more dynamic action movie.
Rating: B
Black Knight currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: Collider
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