At this point, saying that video game-to-film and -television adaptations haven’t traditionally been very successful is certainly beating a dead horse, but after the resounding success of shows like Castlevania and The Last of Us, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Movie earlier this year, it seems clear that the tides are changing. So here we are again, asking, does the streak continue with Peacock’s Twisted Metal?
Even fans of the Twisted Metal game franchise would probably agree that this series didn’t seem like the most obvious choice for a television adaptation. The plot is relatively thin, and the main draw is the reckless mayhem of car brawls and the quirky characters. When M.C.U. member star Anthony Mackie was announced as the show’s lead, our curiosity was piqued. This curiosity was further compounded upon the announcement that the series would be co-led by Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame.
The Transition from Video Game to Television
The initial trailers for Twisted Metal left many, including us, skeptical but curious. One showcases a moment with Mackie’s character (John Doe) and fan-favorite Sweet Tooth singing the 90’s R&B classic “Thong Song” by Sisqó together, which sets the expected tone as somewhat humorous, and a touch cringey. The show definitely delivers on that front with a slew of dad jokes and its own awkward sense of humor; but at its heart, Twisted Metal manages to deliver more.
The real heart of the show is the slowly developing relationship between Quiet (Beatriz) and John, who have both been living the loner life for a long time. They’re each a bit reluctant to trust someone else and watching their connection bloom is certainly heartwarming.
It’s important to gas up your friends when they try a new hairstyle. #TwistedMetal is streaming now on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/UKyFrWKU2H
— Peacock (@peacock) August 29, 2023
For the video game fans who just wanted to see Sweet Tooth act like a psycho, the show delivers on that front as well, going as far as dedicating a significant amount of run time to telling his back story and even giving him some new friends to hang out with (even though he killed all of his other friends, which doesn’t bode too well for the new guys in his life).
Tahj Vaughans, Stephanie Beatriz, Mike Mitchell, and Anthony Mackie in ‘Twisted Metal’
The Verdict?
Twisted Metal kept us coming back for the next episode every time, but as we watched we couldn’t help but wonder, what does all this have to do with a video game where the main objective is using cars as weapons? Is this just a script that got re-skinned with a popular video game IP to make more viewers give it a shot? We are happy, though, to say that the final episode manages to bring all of the plot threads together in one glorious crescendo of mayhem that was incredibly satisfying to watch for anyone who played the games.
This show isn’t winning awards any time soon, and it takes a little while to warm up, but by the end of its 10 episodes, we were excited to see where a potential Season 2 could take us. Watch it, just don’t think too hard while you do.
Twisted Metal is streaming now on Peacock.