Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: A wet-behind-the-ears, yet good-hearted sea captain unwittingly finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship for a terrible international cartel who’s using him as a fall guy in case the authorities ever catch up to them.
Review: Captain Fall is the latest animated series released by Netflix which has a good amount of original animated content, most falling on the side of great (Arcane, Castlevania, Super Crooks, Beastars, Skull Island, DOTA) and others not so great (Farzar, Tarzan and Jane, Neo Yokio). Personally, I like Farzar, but I’m fully aware how low brow the humour is and I knew it wasn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
A mixed bag indeed, this time around we have an animation style in the vein of F is for Family where a good-hearted simpleton by the name of Jonathan Fall (Jason Ritter) unwittingly becomes the captain of a ship that on the surface is a pleasure cruise vessel but is actually used to transport, smuggle and sell illegal goods to eccentric warlords and villains all over the world. The show has at its disposal a slew of talented actors behind the voices of characters. Actors like Christopher Meloni (Man of Steel, Law and Order: SVU) as the dogged Agent Steel bent on taking down the “mastermind” Captain Fall, Adam Devine (Workaholics, The Out-Laws) as Fall’s obnoxiously spoiled older brother Tanner and even Cheers alum Bebe Neuwirth as Fall’s cold-hearted mom Beth. Everyone brings their best to the material making for some memorable scenes that might leave you either cringing or laughing, depending on your sense of humor.
Speaking of humour, the show definitely leans towards the darker side with every episode geared specifically towards an older viewing audience. A kids show this isn’t! Captain Fall doesn’t shy away from laughing at situations that would make most uncomfortable. From an episode that starts off with a man trying to convince his wife to go to a swinger’s club (ending with predictable but karmically funny results) to one where child soldiers are mistaken for “normal kids” by Captain Fall, I laughed but I would be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes feel bad about that.
Overall, I enjoyed Captain Fall with its unique animation style it stands out among the crowd, but the dry humour and darker elements will probably make this one divisive among audiences. But I think shows like these are a step in the right direction giving viewers something different and pushing boundaries. I don’t know if it will get a second season, but even with a few tonal hiccups here and there my interest is piqued, and I certainly hope to see more of this raunchy twisted show.
Sommer’s Score: 7 out of 10
And you can check out more adult animated comedy content below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More