By Melanie Mayberry, programming editor
Twisted Metal, a 10-episode comedy/adventure adaptation of the same-name video game, debuts today on the Peacock streaming service. The show, much anticipated in the gaming world, stars Anthony Mackie as John Doe, a milkman with amnesia who must deliver a mysterious package in a desolate, apocalyptic wasteland. (And you thought you had a rough day.) But is Twisted Metal any good? Rotten Tomatoes, which tracks critical reviews, currently gives the show a score of 68 out of 100, based on 22 reviews. Here’s a sampling of the reviews, and a show trailer. Enjoy.
JoBlo Movie Network
“As much as I enjoyed Anthony Mackie’s performance, Twisted Metal is too generic, lazy, and light to be good. There are a few laughs to be had through the first season, but they are underwhelming, to say the least.”
The Verge
“Obviously, it was important to set up the world and characters for a show like this, but the series does it in a way that both takes too long and isn’t particularly fun.”
UPI
“Fulfills the promise of ultra-violent comic mayhem. It won’t win any new fans but should satisfy those who love the Playstation game.”
IGN Movies
“Twisted Metal is absurd and hilarious in exactly the ways you want a dystopian Cannonball Run to be. Yes, it matches the games’ crude humor but, mostly, it springboards from there and creates its own dark and warped wasteland sensibilities.” — IGN Movies.
RogerEbert.com
“A middle-of-the-road action-comedy for Peacock from the “Deadpool” and “Zombieland” dudes.”
ComicBook.com
“Twisted Metal is a very charming show that manages to accomplish a lot in its ten 30-minute episodes. Everything comes together in such a satisfying way that it makes Twisted Metal another very successful gaming adaptation.”
The Daily Beast
“An aggressively unfunny adaptation of a one-dimensional decades-old PlayStation franchise that few still care about, Peacock’s R-rated action-comedy breaks down from the start and never recovers.”
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“I haven’t been into video games since Ms. Pac-Man was all the rage, but I can’t imagine that PlayStation’s “Twisted Metal” was as much fun to play as its TV adaptation is to watch.”
Boy, the reviews are all over the place. Sounds like if you’re into gaming, you’ll be into Twisted Metal. To read more reviews of the show at Rotten Tomatoes, click here.
