'Citadel' Review: Despite glorious action, this Amazon series fails to pack a punch
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The sub-genre of spy thrillers have always been enthralling for viewers because it offers people a way to escape their monotonous lives. At their core, spy stories are about secrets that keep everyone on the edge of their seats. But it’s never easy to make a compelling spy thriller and only ‘James Bond’ has stood the test of time. On TV, things are even more shocking because there are only a handful of titles that viewers might be able to identify as good spy thrillers. To give viewers something exciting and memorable, Amazon Studios joined hands with the Russo Brothers to create one of the most expensive series of all time, ‘Citadel,’ which primarily focuses on two extraordinary spies trying to save the world.
The plot doesn’t seem to be that unique because spy thrillers are all about spies doing exceptional things to save the world or their loved ones. ‘Citadel’ is nothing different story-wise, but one thing that makes it unique is how the plot has been handled. The series explores themes of power, corruption, and morality in a way that’s thought-provoking. The show primarily focuses on two spies – Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) – working for a spy organization named Citadel and trying to save the world from Manticore. However, things go downhill when they get into an accident and lose their memories. 8 years have gone by and Mason has moved on and has a family now. On the other hand, Nadia is presumed dead. But things take a massive turn when one of their colleagues Bernard (Stanley Tucci) finds Mason and tells him about what he used to be before he lost his memory. They work together to recover a case from a Manticore facility and find other members of Citadel.
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'Citadel' Plot Explained: Here's what the Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series is all about
Some themes might be hard to digest
The first three episodes, made available for the purpose of this review, focus on giving a glimpse of all the action and secrets coming your way in the series. Despite having an intriguing plotline, the series never fully manages to convey its message in the most compelling way possible. The themes of corporate greed and social justice are not at all subtle, and viewers who prefer their entertainment to be more escapist in nature may find it hard to remain interested in the series. Of course, it’s pretty unfair to judge a series so early when the makers have already announced that this franchise will be all about world-building and they have much bigger aspirations. But sadly, the first impression is that ‘Citadel’ is nothing that we haven’t seen before.
Fortunately, the action sequences keep viewers hooked and are brilliantly choreographed. Some of the fight scenes will be remembered for a while because of the way they have been shot and performed, especially the scene where Priyanka Chopra Jonas is tied up and still managing to fight a pervert man in Italy.
Is 'Citadel' worth watching?
When it comes to acting, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the MVP here. Her performance is on-point and her action sequences are much more dynamic in nature. There shouldn’t be any doubt now that she is a good action hero and manages to keep the tone right for much lighter scenes. On the other hand, Richard Madden is doing what he is supposed to do. In the first three episodes, Madden’s character is trying to adjust to his new life and behaves like the next-door guy who is a spy. Is he good? Yes. Is he exceptional? No.
The series might give us much more when it progresses, but there are a lot of things that don’t seem to be working because the plot has nothing new in it. Reports suggest that Amazon shelled out $300 million for this series and we are still wondering where was this big amount used.
** stars for ‘Citadel’.
'Citadel' is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.