@scarletdadspidr
**Guest Contributor**
I love the martial arts genre. Having been in martial arts myself, I’ve witnessed a lack of a martial arts genre or even presence outside of comic hero shows. AMC’s Into The Badlands is a welcoming addition.
All the previews had whet my appetite — and I was built up with great anticipation…
And even before the title sequence, we were served a big ol’ bowl of badassness.
The story itself goes: In a post-apocalyptic, war-torn world — where enough time has passed and it is all the rage that only the history exists — guns are banned. Thus, skilled warriors protect and enforce The Law of their respective Barons. Lines must be respected and never crossed, or you bring upon your own consequences. There are 7 Barons, 7 lands, and a fabled “Land beyond The Badlands.” The Barons themselves have a source of specific value. Only three were revealed in the premiere episode “Fort.”
In this world, the loyal assassins are known as Clippers. Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAn.. (ha, I wish) are there to serve their barons. To a flaw. Also, there are the prisoners, some who can become Colts — who can then become a Clipper. The main Clipper we follow is Sunny (Daniel Wu). Loyal to his Baron Quinn (Martin Csokas). Sunny finds a young boy, M. K. (Aramis Knight) who holds a secret, whom The Widow (Emily Beecham) sought out for herself.
This show brings tension between all the characters within, all intertwined by a cosmic thread: affairs, family drama, love, even power struggle — oh, and lots of action. Into the Badlands offers what you would want in a show leaning so heavily on martial arts. And, to this Alter Boy, the acting was pretty damn good, fFrom the youngest to the more seasoned.
Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) put a lot out there, and considering all the ground covered in the 43-minutes, I would say it paid to the fullest. Shane Hurlbut‘s cinematography (Terminator Salvation and Into The Blue) was on-point with the action’s heavy demands, while Director David Dobkin (Shanghai Knights and The Judge) made a tight and clean view of every punch, kick, flip and all that beautiful swordplay!
Martial Arts choreographer to the show, Huan-Chiu Ku is also known as Master Dee Dee–for good cause. From Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Kill Bill, the man is a master. The slow-mo rain fight sequence, in a word, superb. Another? Seamless. Leaping bulidings, fighting in the rain, over cars and in & out of buildings. Like any classic martial arts cinema this hit home. Hard. Heavy. And in a great way.
I have no doubt that the series will entrench martial arts fans and myself with the progression of every episode. Watch the action, stay for the story or for the cool tattoos. Just make sure you stay.
Into The Badlands airs on AMC every Sunday night at 10/9c.