“Twisted Metal” is a Wild Ride, Flaws and All

There was just something so appealing about playing “Twisted Metal” as a kid. I fondly remember when it first came out on Playstation in 1995 and was hooked. When we got our first Playstation we played “Twisted Metal” for hours, finding new ways to eviscerate our opponents and win the battles. For those that have never had the pleasure, “Twisted Metal” is a based on an all out free for all battle video game where you man one of multiple armed vehicles in an attempt to come out the victor. The big bad of the game you’d have to ultimately face off against was the armed Ice Cream car with the clown on top called “Sweet Tooth.” There was always room for “Twisted Metal” to become something of a live action property, but now that video game movies are on the verge of become hotter than ever, it seemed like the right time for an adaptation.

Rather than a feature film though, Peacock adapts the format of the video game for an episodic limited series that brings all the fun from the video game series in full force. That means we get a post apocalyptic waste land, we get anti-heroes galore, we get armored cars doing battle, and we get so much vicious violence and carnage it’s shocking. Oddly enough, though, “Twisted Metal” season one isn’t the tournament that we play in the games, but the prologue before the tournament. Season one of “Twisted Metal” is more about establishing the world around and inside of “Twisted Metal.” The series is set at the tail end of the 1990’s where a nuclear explosion brought the world to its knees.

All that remains are small portions of society, all of whom have formed tribes that steal, forage, and scavenge from one another. Among them there are those known as “Milk Men.” With their armored cars, they drive across country to make large deliveries, avoiding all the obstacles like thieves and plunderers. The best among them is John Doe, a courier without memory of his life before the world ended. He dreams of a simple life in New San Francisco where he can live without worry of being murdered or raped by pirates. He’s offered a chance to enter the society by the enigmatic Raven, the matriarch of the city who sends him on a delivery. If he can make it back in ten days he’s allowed entry in to the city as a citizen.

Along the way, John comes across a mysterious young woman with a knack for axe throwing, a sadistic law man and his army, and of course, a psychotic, deranged juggernaut known as Sweet Tooth, who delights in stalking and torturing his prey. “Twisted Metal” is by no means a flawless freshman season, but even with its faults, it still manages to be a pretty fun, memorable ten episode ride. It lags somewhere in the middle as hero John Doe manages to bond with Stephanie Beatriz’s mysterious femme fatale Quiet. And their meeting with a roving truck convoy also kinds of drags the narrative’s momentum back. I was also not a fan of the characters Stu and Mike, as their whole arc felt tacked on and had no real pay off.

Nevertheless, the episodes keep up a steady brisk pace filled with a lot of dark comedy, vicious violence, and a dynamite soundtrack of 90’s music. The saving grace of “Twisted Metal” is admittedly the presence of Sweet Tooth. The series thankfully doesn’t skimp on his introduction, even giving him his own long season arc as he ventures out to find the evil Agent Stone. Wrestler Samoa Joe (Joe Seanoa) does a stellar job acting as Sweet Tooth’s body actor, while Will Arnett offers up an enthusiastic and delightfully evil voice performance as the killer clown. That’s not to say the rest of the cast aren’t great as Anthony Mackie is hilarious as the series’ anti-hero while Stephanie Beatriz garners excellent chemistry.

I was also a fan of Thomas Haden Church as the villainous Agent Stone, an irredeemable monster, if there ever was one. I had a great time with “Twisted Metal”; I don’t know if there will be a second season what with the current strike and so many shows either being cancelled or delayed, but if and when we do get a second season I intend to re-join the show as they set up a lot of the more familiar story elements from the game that promise to be fantastic. “Twisted Metal” is ripe with just dark, twisted lore and we’ve just barely scratched the surface.

Now Streaming Exclusively on The Peacock.