Colin Farrell stars as Gotham’s iconic nemesis in The Batman spin-off
The Penguin explores the origin of one of Batman’s iconic nemesis, and Colin Farrell has been heaped with praise for his turn as villain Ozwald “Oz” Cobb in the new HBO series.
Taking place just one week after the events of The Batman, with Gotham in ruins after The Riddler’s attack and Oz seeing it as an opportunity to get to the top of the criminal underworld following the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone. But it won’t be easy for him to do so because the Falcone family are ready to fight for what’s theirs, especially Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone.
Critics were impressed by the series, comparing it to the likes of The Sopranos in style and tone. Farrell’s take on the villain was also commended by some, with one even going so far as to call his portrayal “one of the greatest villains ever seen”.
Variety’s Aramide Tinubu praised the show for being “a masterful examination of criminality” thanks to how “twisted, disturbing and deeply enthralling” it is.
Tinubu was especially blown away by Milioti, writing: “Milioti’s Sofia is a calculated, thoughtful woman who’s driven to stand at the center of power. The juxtaposition of the pair across the show — including flashbacks from their contrasting childhoods and their reactions to losing or gaining dominance — is among the most compelling aspects of The Penguin.”
For Evening Standard’s Martin Robinson, it is thanks to Farrell that the show works so well as he described The Penguin as “a far richer character study [than The Batman], driven by a world-beating ‘give him the Emmy now’ performance by Colin Farrell.”
The critic added: “The series is far too dense with twists and turns to write about in detail without spoilers, but this is a five star series that mafia film fans will adore. It’s very much an Italian-American gangster Penguin, with Farrell finding the sweetest of evil spots between Tony Soprano and De Niro’s Vito Corleone.”
DiscussingFilm’s Jacob Fisher was the most effusive with his praise for the show, writing that it has “masterclass” performances from Farrell and Milioti.
The critic said: “Colin Farrell delivers an immersive, career-best performance as the titular Batman foe. What we saw of him in The Batman barely scratches the surface of his character and what makes him tick.
“From emotional scenes shared with Oz’s mother to showcasing manipulative methods to outdo his enemies, Farrell further fleshes out a one-of-a-kind interpretation that stands as one of the greatest villains ever seen in a comic book movie or TV series.”
However, The Independent’s Nick Hilton did find some faults with the show for evoking classics like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and even Succession, writing: “That’s an awful lot of prestige to shove into the Batman universe… by the time we reach any psychological resonance, it’s buried under a bunch of supervillain guff and lashings of Godfather riffs.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg felt similarly, writing that the show is “too familiar” because it creates a story so similar to that of Tony Soprano: “You offer me the Penguin as a stunted, fish-swallowing freak with an ill-fitting tuxedo and skin so pale he’s practically translucent, and I’ll happily request, ‘Tell me more.’
“Offer me a Penguin who’s a husky, underappreciated mobster with insecurity fuelled by an unhealthy attachment to a mother who coddles him with one hand and emasculates him with another, and my first reaction will be, ‘Yes, I’ve seen The Sopranos before.”
The critic also found fault with the show’s pacing, adding: he story is an accelerated clash that rushes through three or four seasons of plot in these eight episodes. Eventually, it’s just various bad guys making similar and repetitively violent power plays”
It wasn’t all bad, though, as the critic commended Milioti for giving “the show’s defining performance”.
The comparisons to prestige television didn’t end there, as Digital Spy’s Laurence Mozafari also compared it to The Sopranos by calling the series its “spiritual successor”, as well as comparing it to Breaking Bad.
Mozafari wrote: “The Penguin edges and scrapes near greatness during its run, with compelling performances and strong storytelling, but sadly a few episodes veer into slightly dull mob politics, and the scenes within Arkham are more comic book-y, rather than matching the gritty reality they reach for the in rest of the show.
“Nevertheless, The Penguin is solidly watchable and perfectly bingeable… It doesn’t hit the same creative heights as The Sopranos, but for fans of The Batman movie, there’s going to be some added depth for the universe.”
The Telegraph’s Ed Power called Farrell “a revelation” in The Batman and commended how he’s taken him further in The Penguin, saying the actor “reinvented [him] as a charismatic mobster straight from a Scorsese movie. He is just as impressive as he returns in this new series.”
Praising Milioti, Power added: “He has a worthy foil in Cristin Milioti, who brings a slow-boiling menace to the part of Sofia Falcone, the emotionally unstable daughter of recently deceased crime boss Carmine Falcone. Alas, two talented and committed leads are adrift in a glum and dreary thriller which takes forever to build any momentum and assumes the viewer is deeply invested in the origins of the Oswald Cobb.”
