{"id":6456,"date":"2021-11-20T16:02:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T21:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=6456"},"modified":"2021-11-20T22:56:51","modified_gmt":"2021-11-21T03:56:51","slug":"netflix-cowboy-bebop-review-new-live-action-cowboy-bebop-is-campy-colorful-and-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=6456","title":{"rendered":"Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop : Review \/ New Live-Action ‘Cowboy Bebop’ is Campy, Colorful and Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cowboy Bebop<\/i><\/b> is the latest cartoon classic to get a live-action makeover.\u00a0Based on the beloved late 1990s Japanese anime series about futuristic bounty hunters, the new, 10-episode Netflix series, which debuted Friday, is campy, colorful and fun.<\/p>\n

Developed by Andre Nemec (Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol<\/i><\/b>, Alias<\/i><\/b>) and penned by Christopher Yost (Thor: Ragnorak<\/i><\/b>, The Mandalorian<\/i><\/b>,) it features an excellent cast, including John Cho as the charming ex-gangster Spike Spiegel; Mustafa Shakir a the no-nonsense, one-armed Bebop spaceship captain Jet Black; and Daniella Pineda as the badass con artist Faye Valentine.<\/p>\n

The series kicks off in 2071 when only the strong and clever can survive an ultra-violent society. Spike wants to start a new life bringing in villains for a price while mourning a lost love and initially keeping his past ties to the Red Dragon Syndicate crime organization a secret from Jet — a former cop who wants to make money to support his young daughter. Cho and Shakir have great chemistry and it’s a joy to watch their characters comfortably banter back and forth, three years into their partnership.<\/p>\n

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COWBOY BEBOP (L to R) MUSTAFA SHAKIR as JET BLACK and JOHN CHO as SPIKE SPIEGEL of COWBOY BEBOP Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN\/NETFLIX \u00a9 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each episode finds the team working on a new case. Spike and Jet first cross paths with Faye, who was recently released from suspended animation 54 years after an accident, when Spike tries to pick up a criminal to collect a bounty and Faye attempts to bring the guy’s girlfriend home to her wealthy father. She later joins the Beebop crew, much to Spike’s annoyance.<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: I never saw the original Cowboy Bebop<\/i><\/b> and am, therefore, not comparing the two shows, but simply judging the new version on its face. I have no idea if the adaptation will be accepted or rejected by anime fans, but I think viewers with open minds will appreciate this as escapist entertainment that never takes itself too seriously.<\/p>\n

Cho has said it was “scary as hell” re-imagining such iconic intellectual property from Sunrise Inc., but he insisted everyone involved wanted to honor the fans of the original show while offering new surprises and some in-depth back stories for the characters.<\/p>\n

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COWBOY BEPOP (L to R) JAN UDDIN as ASIMOV and LYDIA PECKHAM as KATERINA of COWBOY BEPOP Cr. KIRSTY GRIFFIN\/NETFLIX \u00a9 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As someone who loved both Firefly<\/i><\/b> and The Mandalorian<\/i><\/b>, I believe the live-action Cowboy Bebop<\/i><\/b> shares similar DNA with those recent sci-fi westerns — outlaw protagonists trying to eke out a living as they planet-hop through a universe ruled by the powerful and corrupt.<\/p>\n

But Cowboy Bebop<\/i><\/b> also borrows from various buddy cop comedies, blood-soaked action dramas and hard-boiled detective stories, while adding its own unique visual style, martial arts fight sequences and a soundtrack that incorporates jazz noir, big band, 1970s pop and Old Western music, to distinguish it from other like-minded shows and films.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s definitely worth a look.<\/p>\n

Final Grade: B+<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s the trailer of the film<\/strong>.<\/p>\n