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THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
A tasty new gothic superhero drama for Netfl ix
In 1986, 43 women unexpectedly give birth at the exact same time (a particularly unexpected turn of events given that none of them were pregnant). Eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) gathers together seven of these mysterious children. We cut to today and our team have splintered. Brought back together by the death of their adoptive father, a once glorious squad of super- powered child prodigies is now a dysfunctional tangle of adult neuroses. Welcome to the dark, gothic world of The Umbrella Academy. Starring the likes of Tom Hopper (as a softly spoken
hulking brute living on the moon) and Ellen Page (as a concert violinist), it also features Mary J Blige and Cameron Britton as a pair of ultra-violent assassins in cutesy animal masks. The Umbrella Academy (adapted from the comic by Brazilian artist Gabriel Bá and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way) is effectively a murder mystery wrapped in an apocalyptic drama with a wild plot which takes in time travel, a talking chimp and the end of the world.
Music is brilliantly utilised throughout, particularly when some characters are dancing to Tiffany, and during a bloody fi ght scene choreographed to They Might Be Giants’ ‘Istanbul (Not Constantinople)’. The Umbrella Academy offers something new and unique in an already crowded genre. (Henry Northmore) ■ Netfl ix from Fri 15 Feb. Episodes watched: seven of ten ●●●●● See list.co.uk for a longer review.
96 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2019