First: Idris Elba Omar Sy is not!
The Arsène Lupin books are based on the cleverness of the character. The first rule of writing is you need to be as smart or as clever as the character you are writing about! The writing for Lupin is absolutely atrocious. The clever actions make no sense, the protagonist, as other reviewers have noted, can only shine through the sheer mediocrity of all who surround him. Nothing to be proud of.
This show reminds me of the Queen Latifah's Equalizer (and I say this as a fan of Queen Latifah the person, not the actress). We live in an era of CRT, and writers now obviously think they can plunk middle-aged somewhat overweight (I am also overweight and should also not be cast as super-action-fighting-hero unless fat protruding over the belt line is now a super power! Omar can NOT run, Queenie and Omar both look like they're going to croak when they run) poorly cast characters into classic action roles. In Equalizer, the suspension of disbelief requirement is a full-time job, from the high-flying wig which survives motorcycle helmet trips, to completely ridiculous combat scenes, to ridiculous "savant" side-kicks, Lupin falls into exactly the same traps. Completely incompetent criminals and cops, except for the one "good" "brilliant" cop, limitless financial resources for costumes and tech equipment, but can't pay for his kid and ex-partner, etc. To be cliché, which perfectly defines this show, there are more plot holes than Swiss cheese.
Part A's 5 episodes were bad, but Part B's 5 episodes were multiple times worse. So why did I continue to watch it? Well we're month 16 of lockdown, and we're reaching for the gooey bottom dredges of Netflix.
Only watch if you adore Omar Sy, of if desperate.
The Arsène Lupin books are based on the cleverness of the character. The first rule of writing is you need to be as smart or as clever as the character you are writing about! The writing for Lupin is absolutely atrocious. The clever actions make no sense, the protagonist, as other reviewers have noted, can only shine through the sheer mediocrity of all who surround him. Nothing to be proud of.
This show reminds me of the Queen Latifah's Equalizer (and I say this as a fan of Queen Latifah the person, not the actress). We live in an era of CRT, and writers now obviously think they can plunk middle-aged somewhat overweight (I am also overweight and should also not be cast as super-action-fighting-hero unless fat protruding over the belt line is now a super power! Omar can NOT run, Queenie and Omar both look like they're going to croak when they run) poorly cast characters into classic action roles. In Equalizer, the suspension of disbelief requirement is a full-time job, from the high-flying wig which survives motorcycle helmet trips, to completely ridiculous combat scenes, to ridiculous "savant" side-kicks, Lupin falls into exactly the same traps. Completely incompetent criminals and cops, except for the one "good" "brilliant" cop, limitless financial resources for costumes and tech equipment, but can't pay for his kid and ex-partner, etc. To be cliché, which perfectly defines this show, there are more plot holes than Swiss cheese.
Part A's 5 episodes were bad, but Part B's 5 episodes were multiple times worse. So why did I continue to watch it? Well we're month 16 of lockdown, and we're reaching for the gooey bottom dredges of Netflix.
Only watch if you adore Omar Sy, of if desperate.