TL;DR – The Pilot combines a great story, with fascinating animation, and a voice cast that is here for it, so much fun to watch.

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Review –

A while back there was some mention of Michael B. Jordan staring in an animated mecha series from Rooster Teeth, and you have to believe that this immediately caught my attention. This of course was added to when we got the little hints as to what the series is going to be about and the sheer bonkers voice cast that was coming on board. Well, today we get to see the final product, and well it does not disappoint.

So to set the scene, in 2068 the world is a very different place with a totalitarian government The Union rising up and slowly taking over the world with their nano-tech. There are very few governments left to stop them and all attempts to find a diplomatic resolution have failed. As The Polity trains for the coming war, Julian Chase (Michael B. Jordan) and Miranda Worth (Dakota Fanning) take some time away from The Anvil, their base of operations, to visit Chase’ mum Roberta (Shari Belafonte) in Brooklyn, New York. However, they are not visiting in person but through VR Holograms. After the prerequisite embarrassing stories about Chase’s childhood, the pair leaves just as The Union start their main attack on New York. The team race to defend the city but sometimes the only option left is a sacrifice. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

The first thing you notice with gen:LOCK is the animation. It feels a little off at the start because it feels both too fluid and then also not fluid enough. However, as the first episode progresses it finds its balance, or more likely it was that I got used to the stylised nature of the animation that they were going for. All of this culminated in the Battle of New York which shows how they blend the 2D characters in a world of 3D vehicles, missiles and nanobot swarms. When you use different animation techniques in the same world it can end up looking jarring, but here everything flows and works together.

The next thing you see is the world that they have built, and oh boy is it interesting. I have to say I always have a weakness for Science Fiction worlds that are built off the one we live in today. So the little hints of worldbuilding we have gotten in the first episode are tantalising. You see it in the tech, the weapons, and the people, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about this future.

For the first episode of a series, there is actually a lot of heavy lifting the show has to do to set up the story. We have the world, and the brewing conflict, but we also need to know the motivations of both sides and the relationships between the different characters. Here The Pilot works really heard setting it all up, so they can delve into this world. There was that instant rapport between Chase and Worth, that cuts both ways, you also get that connection between Chase and his family. Add to this they have cast some amazing actors in this cast and every single one of them hits the ground running.

In the end, do we recommend The Pilot? Yes, Yes we do. It has been a long time since a mecha animated show has sucked me in like this. I want to see more of this world, more of the characters, more of the story, and for a pilot episode of a show, that’s a good sign.       

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen gen:LOCK yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Trailer – Click Here to View (all trailers have heavy spoilers)
Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of gen:LOCK
Directed by – Gray G. Haddock
Written by – Gray G. Haddock
Created by – Gray G. Haddock
Starring – Michael B. Jordan, Dakota Fanning, Golshifteh Farahani, Maisie Williams, Kōichi Yamadera, Asia Kate Dillon, Blaine Gibson, Gray G. Haddock, Miles Luna, Chad James, Monica Rial, Shari Belafonte, G.K. Bowes, Lara Toner Haddock & David Tennant