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[Review] Netflix’s “The Irregulars” Puts Familiar YA Supernatural Spin on Sherlock Holmes Story

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Between 2009’s Sherlock Holmes movie, the 2010 series Sherlock, and last year’s Enola Holmes, Netflix’s offerings of Arthur Conan Doyle-inspired works gives a strong indicator of its enduring legacy. Sherlock Holmes, his friend Dr. Watson, and their sleuthing skills transformed detective fiction and amassed icon status in the centuries since initial publication. Lesser known in the canon is the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of street kids that aided Holmes in a few mysteries. The Irregulars aims to cast these characters in a new light, creating an eight-episode series that descends Victorian London into supernatural darkness that can only be stopped by an angsty group of teens.

Life is hard on the dirty, cold streets of London for orphaned sisters Bea (Thaddea Graham) and Jessie (Darci Shaw) and their close-knit friends Billy (Jojo Macari) and Spike (Mckell David). Under Bea’s leadership, the group scrapes by just enough, and at least they have each other. Then London gets inundated with a series of strange events that make living on the streets even more dangerous, thanks to a string of grisly murders by people with inhuman abilities. When Bea gets strong-armed by Dr. Watson (Royce Pierreson) to help him solve these supernatural cases, it puts the group on the frontlines of defense against mounting darkness that will threaten to destroy everything.

Created by Tom Bidwell (Watership Down), The Irregulars adheres to a familiar young adult genre series setup. While teasing an overarching mystery, the eight-episode series opts for a “Monster of the Week” episodic approach, as the young protagonists slowly entrench themselves in the dark underbelly of horror-fantasy London. That exposition-light approach gives more room to focus on the character building and dynamics, for better and worse.

The Irregulars is at its best when it spends most of its energy building the sibling bond between the assertive Bea and her meek, fragile sister Jessie, who’s discovering an emerging power that will become critical in their battle with evil. Bea’s antagonistic engagements with a hostile Dr. Watson, who’s clearly keeping many of the season’s answers close to his vest, also adds to the pro column. Bea’s initial forays into the cliché young adult love triangle with Billy and aristocrat-in-disguise Leopold (Harrison Osterfield) induces yawns. Leopold’s entire storyline reads more plot device than fleshed-out character; he exists to add to Bea’s conflicts and serve as a hindrance or help in the mystery-solving, depending on the need. Many character traits set up early in the season wind up forgotten or adding little to their respective arcs by the finale.

Then there’s Sherlock Holmes (Henry Lloyd-Hughes), the literary icon who spends the early parts of the season as a shadow that looms large over the proceedings until he makes his entrance. Here, Holmes has fallen from grace thanks to a traumatic event that spurred a drug-addicted downward spiral. The character is less a brilliant investigator, and more of a rock-star magician turned broken man. It’s the most glaring indication that Bidwell is looking to reimagine and modernize Doyle’s characters, aside from the Irregulars themselves. All of which ripples out and chances up the canon in ways that will either lure in new fans or alienate long-time fans.

The production design is fantastic, making the grimy, bustling Victorian London streets feel fully inhabited, even when its characters don’t. The supernatural crimes are often delightfully macabre. Episodes feature vengeful supernatural entities that gruesomely steal faces or teeth, making for some grisly murder methods. How those crimes get solved often proves far less satisfying.

While The Irregulars looks polished and offers moments of horror fun and a compelling lead in Bea, tedious teen angst and drama bog it down. Worse, the central mystery and its big bad can be seen a mile away, but the teens fall prey to the usual pitfalls of melodrama that means they’re ten steps behind. Steeping Doyle’s popular characters deep within the occult makes for an intriguing concept, but this series doesn’t seem to know what to do with it beyond a superficial, generic setup. The cast gives it their all, but this series mostly banks on character legacy to provide emotional stakes. Despite its title, this new take on Doyle’s works is pretty regular.

The Irregulars season one is available on Netflix on March 26, 2021.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Movies

‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II’ Review – Sequel Defies Expectations and Surpasses the Original

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Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey 2

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey broke the internet when it was first announced back in 2022. Disney fans and everyone else were caught off guard by the concept of the iconic toy bear and his stuffed pals becoming feral, but enough time has passed to where this current genre practice — turning public-domain material into horror films — is less of a shock. However, that didn’t stop folks from reacting with surprise when a sequel was reported last year. And with all the financial success from last time, this continuation has more resources at its disposal. That increased budget is evident on screen and partly why Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II surpasses the original.

Returning director Rhys Frake-Waterfield is joined by Summer of ‘84 writer Matt Leslie, and their collaboration is a quasi-reset of the first Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. The prior film is now treated as an in-universe adaptation of Christopher Robin’s horrific ordeal. The meta touch gives the sequel room to acknowledge the original film’s deficiencies as well as a chance to expand on the lore. As the “real” Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) tries to now move on with his life while also enduring accusations from all sides, Winnie-the-Pooh (a.k.a. The Yellow Bastard) and his wicked storybook pals brew up their next violent course of action.

Beyond its opening act, the previous Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was much too plotless and straightforward. Its only ambition was reimagining Pooh and Piglet as merciless killers. Sure, audiences mainly tuned in to see these characters carry out a massacre, but there is no denying that the execution was monotonous. That same kind of narrative redundancy is, thankfully, not in the sequel. Leslie penned a more sinuous script that doesn’t ever switch on the “autopilot” button. From probing Christopher Robin’s extensive trauma to revealing the origin of the Hundred Acre Wood villains (which now include Owl and Tigger), the second film is more structured and engaging.

On top of a better story, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II benefits from higher production values. The detailed creature designs and suits are more convincing than before; they don’t just look like actors in masks anymore. Simple yet favorable upgrades, such as articulating mouths and thorough skin texture, make these monsters persuasive as they work toward the film’s ultimate body count. The extra funding also allows for elaborate set-pieces, including a rave-set mass murder and a brief but exciting chainsaw sequence. In addition, Andrew Scott Bell’s score work in these films continues to be a highlight.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II is a significant step up in certain areas, although there is the issue of tone. The sequel resumes the grave atmosphere from earlier as well as injects random, not to mention welcome spurts of humor (the intentional sort). Nevertheless, this film is generally an improvement on the first, which read like a parody due to its uncompromisingly severe delivery. Here, there are glimpses of campiness that make for a more entertaining experience.

This flawed but enjoyable sequel defies expectations — albeit low ones — and outperforms its predecessor on most levels. There is more to appreciate this time around. And if plans for the “Poohniverse” go as planned, this won’t be the last appearance of the bloodthirsty Hundred Acre Wood gang.

From Fathom Events, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II will screen in theaters from March 26 to 28.

2.5 out of 5 skulls

Pictured: Poster for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II.

Pictured: Poster for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II.

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