[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18994″ img_size=”800×450″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]It’s difficult for show or movie to have the trope of a highly trained young girl and her father figure running from government agents to exist without it being compared to the movie Logan. During my review of the first episode, which premiered right after the Super Bowl; I had even made a comparison to Wolverine and Laura’s relationship. While I myself had never seen the original movie Hanna and am unaware of their bond in the film, I can say that the series does continue to have that similar feel to Logan, with a splash of The Winter Soldier mixed in.
One of the things I enjoyed about this show was the fact that it took place in Europe; the creators of the show didn’t try to “Americanize” the series. Even though there were some American characters, they didn’t move the context of the show to the United States. The show had a very European feel to it and while it may seem like a minor detail, it was one I enjoyed.
The fight sequences are done very well. Joel Kinnaman, who plays Erik Heller; is in tip-top shape and his choreography is fluid and precise. Similar to his action scenes in Altered Carbon, they definitely hired the right guy for this role. There was a lot of espionage and secret government aspects to this series, which kept you on your toes the entire season – who was there to help and who had an ulterior motive?
Kinnaman’s costar from The Killing Mireille Enos plays Marissa in this; a smart, relentless woman who will stop at nothing to complete her mission. Even if it has been canceled by her superiors. For anyone worried if having these two actors, who so iconically played Holder and Linden on the AMC series; do not worry. The two couldn’t be playing any different parts and the dynamic between them is nothing like The Killing. Erik and Marissa are on opposite sides of the line and even though towards the end it may seem like Marissa could potentially become an ally, this never happens, considering their history.
Hanna should be on your list of series to watch because of some of the great action scenes, the constant web of lies, and trying to see who will eventually outsmart who. Kinnaman and Enos play their characters really well and even Esme Creed-Miles, who plays Hanna; did a great job.
What I didn’t like about the show? Pacing was one of its problems. Due to this being a series and not a movie, the creators have freedom in elongating the story and exploring parts that they may not have had the time to do in the film. While it was fun seeing Hanna attempt to be a normal teenage girl, the show did concentrate on side characters a little too much. While these side characters did have substance to them, it was all for nothing as it seemed that they were quickly forgotten about and I wonder, why spend much time on them at all?
The “secret government experiment” aspect was what I was interested in, so any time the series didn’t concentrate on that, I have to admit I lost a bit of interest. But, what ultimately is the reason why I would give this series a 7/10 is because it became almost exactly the blueprint as Logan. Even down to them discovering a facility with others like Hanna, which should have been explored sooner in the series and not had so much filler in between; and the word “mutations” was even thrown around. It reminded me very much so of how Donald Pierce attempted to destroy the mutant facility in Logan and tracked X-23 after her escape.
Still, watch it for yourself and let me know what you thought – do you think I’m being a little too critical and what aspects of the show did you enjoy? How great was it seeing Kinnaman and Enos in a show together again?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
