Buzz Patrol Bollywood Hollywood South Indian Movies Box Office Photos Videos Movie Reviews
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina review: Netflix show humanises the teenage witch without losing trademark spark
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a binge-worthy series, despite some minor bumps, for those familiar with the character and those new to it.
Devki Nehra October 26, 2018 11:18:52 IST
For most, Sabrina Spellman was the bubbly teenager with two kooky aunties and a talking cat. Her problems were relatable and whenever she countered a major roadblock, magic was the quick fix. Unlike the happy optimistic figure from the comic books and its other iterations, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has the millennial golden haired, half mortal-half witch, played by Mad Men's Kiernan Shipka, face bigger troubles.
Kiernan Shipka in a still from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Netflix
Penned by Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirro-Sarcasa, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a macabre and spicy reincarnation of a classic, somewhere between the aesthetic of American Horror Story Coven and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sabrina 2.0 lives with her adoptive aunts - the bubbly Hilda (Lucy Davis) and the chain smoking, espresso-sipping Zelda (Miranda Otto). Her warlock cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo), who is under house arrest is also part of the pack. All three tend to the Spellman Mortuary, a rather morbid choice for a business. Her cat Salem is real, not the animatronic one we all grew up watching.
The cast is joined by Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, the principal of a Hogwarts-like school, Academy of The Unseen Arts, where Sabrina has been enrolled. Blackwood seems to secretly conspire against the young witch possibly owing to a long held animosity against her late father. There is also the wicked Miss Wardwell (Michelle Gomez), Sabrina's teacher possessed by a demon, whose undying devotion to Satan reminds one of Bellatrix Lestrange. If it were not enough, the series also has the Weird Sisters, a trio of bullies, led by a witchy Regina George named Prudence (Tati Gabrielle).
In the first episode itself, Sabrina is faced with a dilemma – to leave behind the mortal world with her doting, dopey boyfriend Harvey (Ross Lynch), friends Ros (Jaz Sinclair) and Susie (Lachlan Watson), in order to embrace Satan and become a full witch. Except, she is not at all sure whether she wants to do that. Sabrina defiantly questions the path laid down for her, unwilling to adhere to tradition just for the sake of it, because she has a lot to lose if she chooses one way over the other.
Shipka has once again proven her acting chops as the strong-willed, outspoken Sabrina, who has just enough naivety of a 16-year-old. However, the writer seemed to have pushed to make her seem like an ideal heroine, who can never falter. And in all honesty, her human life is a little uneventful, or maybe being a regular mortal really is that mundane and boring. Also, Sabrina's relationship with Harvey relationship is sickly sweet and plateaus after a point.
Davis and Otto are a delight to watch on screen and have a typical hot and cold sibling relationship. "She annoyed me, so I killed her and buried her in the yard," Otto's Zelda tells Ambrose.
The series does not shy away from issues relevant to the current climate like the perils of blind faith, organised religion and of course, patriarchy. The first three episodes may seem like a drag as they circle around Sabrina's struggle to retain control over her soul, but pick up soon after.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a binge-worthy series, despite some minor bumps, for those familiar with the character and those new to it. Do not skip the impressive opening credits that combine elements of the modern rendition with pulp magazine-inspired graphics. The show also has a brilliant, spooky soundtrack, with a particularly haunting cover of Donovan's 'Season of the Witch'.
Buzzpatrol
Veteran Telugu actress Jamuna passes away at 87
She had won the Filmfare award for Hindi Film 'Milan'. Some of her iconic films include 'Missamma', 'Gundamma Katha' and 'Sri Krishna Tulabharam'.
Explained: Why Meghan and Harry are accused of blackmailing royal family with Volume 2 of Spare
Meghan and Harry have been accused of "blackmailing" the Royal Family amid rumours around the release of a second book by the Sussexes. On the other hand, they no longer enjoy the support they used to receive from the American public following their constant attacks against the royal family.
Mission Majnu is gender-flipped Raazi & much more fun
Malhotra brings a sense of mischief to his body language as the twinkled tailor 'soldered' spy. He is supposed to play a Hindu Indian soldier masquerading as a Muslim tailor in Pakistani, hence the body language suggests a certain amount of artificial posturing.
Lior Raz's show Fauda tops Netflix's streaming chart in Lebanon, also enters Top 10 in UAE, Qatar, Jordan
Lior Raz's show Fauda has become of the most acclaimed and successful shows in the world. It has not only topped Netflix's streaming chart in Lebanon where most of the series is based, it has also entered the Top 10 rank in UAE, Qatar, Jordan.
Netflix soars to 230 million subscribers, co-founder Reed Hastings steps down
Hastings ceded everyday control of Netflix to his two longtime associates Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, who has been the face of Netflix in Hollywood and had already been named co-CEO
Netflix celebrates iconic film-maker Yash Chopra & Yash Raj Films' rich cultural legacy in new docu-series The Romantics
Netflix will globally release The Romantics on Feb 14, 2023 as a tribute to Yash Chopra
Explained: How Squid Game: The Challenge is giving its contestants near-death experiences!
"Even if hypothermia kicked in then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line," said one contestant to British tabloid The Sun.
Explained: How Sidharth Malhotra has reinvented himself with Mission Majnu, now trending at No. 5 worldwide on Netflix
After Shershaah, this is another gripping offering from the actor that fans have been saying should have been a theatrical release instead of a Netflix one.