As I often indicate, I don’t get out to the movies very often anymore, for the most part due to a combination of indifference and inertia. However, I actually went to the theater last weekend and saw Atomic Blonde, but not because it was based on Antony Johnston and Sam Hart’s 2012 graphic novel from Oni Press, The Coldest City.
Frankly, I had even forgotten that it was based on a graphic novel (though, to be fair, this fact isn't exactly being promoted by its products). For those interested, it’s still in print, both under its original title and in a new edition, which uses the movie’s title and features a movie-poster style cover.
No, I went because a female friend wanted to see it, and her desire to do so was based almost entirely on its soundtrack. It's not a musical, it's a Cold War spy movie set around the fall of the Berlin Wall. So it's understandable that it sets much of its mood and tone through 80's music, specifically the songs of David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Blue Monday, The Clash, etc. Which just so happened to be the soundtrack of her youth. So off we went.
When I said “Atomic Blonde is a spy story” I meant espionage, not super-spy stuff; so there’s no gadgets, and the setting is relentlessly gritty. This “realism” goes only so far; for one thing, top operative Charlize Theron wears stylish outre outfits exclusively in black and white while she’s theoretically undercover. Also, while the violence is more bloody and brutal than in a Bond film, there certainly is a lot of it. Theron leaves a deluge of corpses in her wake, which is the kind of thing that would quickly compromise an actual spy. But it all works in context and its shakier plot points are shored up by a top-notch cast that includes James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones and Sofia Boutella.
Make no mistake, it’s all those things, but then, that’s what people seem to want in a contemporary comedy these days. The series seems to have used Louie and Girls as a template. Like those shows, this Tick is sad, bleak and weird, an examination of empty, damaged people and all the collateral damage swirling around them. Which is why meek accountant Arthur isn’t just some random guy playing with the notion of being a superhero. Here’s he’s a troubled loner dealing with the childhood trauma of his father's death by trying to prove that the supposedly dead supervillain who killed him is still alive. To do this he uses what’s known as a “Crazy String Board*,” which in television is usually a good indicator your lead character's obsession is inching them ever closer to the edge.
The Tick remains simply...The Tick. While considerably less beefy than Warburton, Peter Serafinowicz, the British actor who has had roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (though by me, he’ll always be best known for his memorable stint as Lord Edgar Covington, Baron of Hertfordshire on Parks and Recreation) quite ably fills the blue bodysuit. Equally important, Serafinowicz has the acting chops to convey The Tick's innate innocence, as well as the resonant voice to make his dialogue sound convincing. In the six episodes streamed so far, he hasn’t had the opportunity to bellow the character's beloved battle cry, “Spooooon!”. But I hope he will, because I’m convinced that he can.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
