Supacell, the new Netflix thriller, follows a group of young Black men and women from South London who find they have superpowers. Now one of them can unlock a cash machine with his bare hands, while another can sprint the distance between London and Edinburgh in a matter of seconds.
The speedster may have compared his abilities to the Flash’s, but the program that most resembled Supacell wasn’t any of the CW’s retired Arrow-verse shows or anything from the MCU’s output in the last five years.
Instead, the most apparent analogy is Heroes, a mid-2000s NBC drama about a group of individuals from all over the globe who have remarkable “abilities.” Several Supacell characters share power sets with major hero figures, such as time travel and teleportation, as well as the ability to copy the skills of others.
Both shows offer a glimpse of an apocalyptic future that only its protagonists can prevent, both feature intentionally bland government agents attempting to capture and control the supers, both have a largely self-serious tone offset by one lighthearted character, and both are initially interested in what a normal person would do if they discovered they possessed godlike abilities. Of course, heroes did not originate any of these concepts.
However, in 2006, it dominated the superhero TV genre. Smallville, a youthful Clark Kent adventure, was still airing, and a Blade series had just finished its first (and only) season only days before Heroes started, but these were niche items on lesser-watched networks. In the years after the early Spider-Man and X-Men films, but before the MCU totally altered mainstream culture, there was an evident desire that had mostly gone unfulfilled on television.
Heroes became an immediate hit not just for what it was about, but also for how it presented its tales; the dismal first season finale revealed that the program wasn’t very good at the latter, and it quickly went from sensation to farce. Rapman, a rapper-turned-filmmaker whose real name is Andrew Onwubolu, may seem less appropriate for such a production, created Supacell.
It comes in a market where the abundance of superhero material has obviously outpaced demand, and previews for impending Marvel and DC projects are regarded with cynicism or exhaustion rather than excitement. So it can’t get by only on its subject matter.
To stand out from the crowd, it requires a unique hook and execution. The fact that all five of the protagonists are Black South Londoners adds to the intrigue.
There have, of course, been other recent films and shows featuring Black heroes and primarily Black ensembles, but Rapman focuses on his hometown and the cultural and socioeconomic influences that have formed his five heroes. Michael (Tosin Cole) is a delivery truck driver who is engaged to social worker Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo). Sabrina (Nadine Mills) is a nurse. Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa) is an ex-con attempting to reestablish a connection with his adolescent son. Rodney (Calvin Demba) is a poor cannabis dealer. And Tazer (Josh Tedeku) is a wannabe mobster whose abilities emerge at the perfect moment for a conflict with a larger, more established clan.
All of them are linked not just by their newfound superpowers, but also by the neighborhood, where they continue to cross paths even before Rodney is revealed to be an off-brand Flash. However, the interpersonal content is rather general.
The performances are all decent, with Josh Tedeku and Eric Kofi Abrefa standing out in underwritten parts. Supacell naturally wants the viewer to get immersed in these folks and their daily concerns before telekinesis and other supernatural abilities ruin their lives.
It’s simply not really intriguing. The six-episode season seems both too lengthy and too short, dragging its feet to get to the point where the characters are routinely interacting and utilizing their talents in intriguing ways, then ending just as the plot gains real speed.
At the very least, the abilities are interesting. Rapman directs many of the episodes, with Sebastian Thiel helming the others, and they and their colleagues have a clear, colorful style for how things should appear when, for instance, Rodney is running at full speed or two or more people with abilities are battling.
It’s all done on a small scale, yet at times the action is more stunning than that of some previous MCU programs. Supacell’s ability to grow over time is likely what differentiates it most from Heroes, which began great but quickly faded. However, it falls short of standing out in today’s overcrowded superhero TV environment.
When is the release date for Supacell?
Supacell is available on Netflix starting June 27. I’ve seen all six episodes.
When will the Supacell trailer be released?
Netflix has published an official teaser trailer for Supacell, as well as a preview trailer that provides a behind-the-scenes ‘inside peek’ at the film.
