TL;DR – This episode works very well as a vibe check because you probably will have a fair assumption about whether this is your bag for the rest of the season by the time the credits roll.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this series.

Twisted Metal Review –

There are some video games that you know from the iconography alone. One of those is Twisted Metal. I never played the game myself, but some aspects are instantly recognisable. But can the show take those elements and turn them into a story? Well, that is what we are finding out today.   

So to set the scene, 20 years ago, the world fell apart as a virus destroyed the world’s computers. This apocalyptic event split the world in two. Some walled themselves up inside cities, and those who got booted outside. It is a lawless void, but people must still take supplies between the cities. Insert the milkmen, of which there is no better than John Doe (Anthony Mackie). But it might be worth driving into the unknown when he is given an opportunity to find a home. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

I was surprised how little actually happened as the credits rolled, but in some respects, what this episode was doing was spending a lot of time creating a vibe. Anthony Mackie’s personality is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, which is good that we see the world through his eyes. It will probably be worth watching to see how the relationship between him and Stephanie Beatriz’s character Quiet grows throughout the series. More than anything, we get a sense of the world that we are diving into, the very blood-soaked world.

We do get two big plot points that push us further. The first is how Quiet ends up by herself, but this feels more like a moment we will return to further in the season. The other was the big call to action from Raven (Neve Campbell), the COO of New San Francisco. I think it is safe to say that the package they will pick up from New Chicago will not be as straightforward as it appears, and I did like the immediate hard turn into villainy that happened.

While there were a lot of vibes and a prominent call to action, it was hard to latch on to anything solid bar that moment that we cut for a windscreen wiper product placement. More substance might come as we move forward, but charm will only get you so far, and I am not sure how much further it will get. Several establishing shots clearly had a digital car added to them that was a bit jarring. The car action was fine, but a bit reserved bar for the scene in the mall.

In the end, do we recommend Twisted Metal: WLUDRV? Well? I think there was enough there to let me want to check out another episode or two. But not enough that I have to stop what I am doing and binge the whole thing tonight.

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 Twisted Metal 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.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Twisted Metal
Directed by – Kitao Sakurai
Written by – Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick & Michael Jonathan Smith
Created by – Michael Jonathan Smith
Based On – Twisted Metal by Sony Interactive Entertainment
Production/Distribution Companies – Artists First, Electric Avenue, Inspire Entertainment, PlayStation Productions, Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television, Peacock & Stan
Starring – Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett & Thomas Haden Church with Neve Campbell and Richard Cabral, Lou Beatty Jr. & Jared Bankens