The Penguin is a series from the Batman universe in which the life of this criminal is revealed. Since the creation of Netflix and all the subsequent followers of almost all major players in the television landscape, many players from the film world have also embraced the concept of the television series. All major players in this world either have their own streaming service or work closely with one. Where you used to be dependent on a film studio to get your work on the big screen, you now have to spread that world over a number of television series. Think of Star Wars, the Marvel Universe or DC Comics. Their heroes graced the silver screen for years with the occasional sidestep into the series world. In recent years, however, we have been inundated with series from these universes. Too much is bad, they say, so there are good series and less good series. The Penguin is certainly one of the better ones.
What the abundance of streaming services with their own series has also brought, are the big movie stars of yesteryear who are no longer averse to playing leading roles in a series. In the Penguin, too, a thoroughbred actor is allowed to call the shots. We know Colin Farrell from films such as In Bruges and recently also from The Batman in which he already played The Penguin. Farrell was also one of the first big movie stars to be seen in an adaptation (True Detective) on the small screen. The man is a good actor, knows how to get under the skin of a role and does so with his character in The Penguin.
The Penguin may be a character from the Batman universe, but in this series the character himself is in the foreground. His development into the person he has become is central. There is no trace of his great 'bat' enemy. Readers who have seen Gotham were already able to get acquainted with the figure of Penguin and his first steps in the world of crime. In this series, however, this character and his story are developed much further.
What gives this DVD release even more shine are the many extras that have been added. It is rare that you get extra content with a DVD release, but with The Penguin you get no less than ten: Inside Gotham, Introducing The Penguin, The Origin of Oz, Welcome to Gotham, Gotham Re-envisioned, Becoming The Penguin, Who is the Hangman: Portrait of Sofia Falcone, Hearts of The Penguin, A Tale of Two Gothams, Victor Aguilar: The making of a Henchman.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
Indeed a very good series of high quality that I enjoyed very much. HBO and DC may give more villains from the DC stable their own (limited) series if they can maintain this level.
What makes The Penguin so powerful is that Gotham comes into its own without Batman having to play a role. The series doesn’t focus on heroes or spectacular rescues, but on the ruthless struggle for influence and survival in a city that has been corrupted from within. Within that harsh reality, we see Oswald Cobblepot steadily work his way to the top, amidst a world of intrigue, power struggles and violence, where every decision has far-reaching consequences.
