Company Netflix continues its global expansion, achieving international success through multinational projects. Fresh series from her partners from the film studio Gaumont connects the story of a noble thief by the writer Maurice Leblanc with the life of modern France.
How did it become fashionable for Netflix, the first season of the project Lupine was divided into two parts, the second of which was released on June 11 this year. And now it’s kind of like two full mini-seasons of five episodes.
At the center of the show is the son of a refugee from Senegal, Assan Diop, whose father at one time was accused of stealing Marie Antoinette’s necklace and took his own life in prison. Raised on books about the adventures of Arsene Lupine, Assan is gradually morphing into a modern version of his beloved character in hopes of punishing those responsible for his father’s death. A well-rounded detective story with reincarnations and strong villains completely fizzles out by the second part of the project, becoming an awkward parody-fairy tale of old comedies with dumb cops and an elusive protagonist.
Following the trends of French cinema, the creators invited older actors to the main roles (last year the local cinema issued a romantic love story between 70-year-old characters). However, our youth, according to new world standards, now lasts up to 35 years, so everything is in perfect order. And although Omar Sy natural and organic in the image of a brave thief, he looks too heavy for a clever robber. Clotilde Em and Ludivine Sagnier do well with the roles of the protagonist’s love interests, but their characters are too few in the central story, apart from childhood memories. Of the very young actors, it is worth noting a cute Ludmila Makovski and Mamadou Haidara, who perfectly got used to the children’s versions of Claire and Assan.
Lupine keeps the intrigue well in the first episodes, but the second part of the season comes with great difficulty. Here, the absurdities of the script are much stronger, the presentation is too fabulous, and the end with the exposure of the main villain and the sovereign of the French oligarchs seems to be something from the spicy dishes of Bollywood, like the naive and incredibly honest French cops.
Surprisingly, the film lacks LGBTQ representatives, which is very unusual for the Netflix project.
Thanks to the incredible success of Lupine in the world, the online cinema extended the story for another season, but it feels like there is absolutely nothing to tell there. Villains are caught, unfinished love lines are deadlocked, and heroes have achieved what they dreamed of. Although only one book about Lupine’s adventures was used as the central inspiration for the work, the French writers are unlikely to be able to draw from the character – even with the participation of Omar C – anything else really interesting.
Author: Alexander Loginov (xtr)
7/10
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