Peacock's new Twisted Metal series is getting super positive reviews – and it's safe to say, everyone is pleasantly surprised. In the run-up to its release, the marketing material has torn fans of the video game in which it's based, with many suggesting that it didn't look all that. Well, it's certainly proved the naysayers wrong it seems, with critics describing it as "dark", "campy", and "hilarious".
Starring Marvel's Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Neve Campbell, the show follows an amnesiac courier, known as a milkman, who is tasked with ferrying a package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The mission is complicated, though, when he realizes he's being chased by a bunch of murderous marauders. On the journey, he teams up with an axe-wielding car thief named Quiet; can the two of them make it to the end of the road alive?
Times-Picayune's Mike Scott calls it "an irreverent, blood-soaked blast" in his glowing review, praising its tongue-in-cheek tone and "blend of Mad Max and Death Race 2000."
"Twisted Metal is a very charming show that manages to accomplish a lot in its ten 30-minute episodes. Everything comes together in such a satisfying way that it makes Twisted Metal another very successful gaming adaptation," claims ComicBook.com's Cade Onder.
"The series is bombastic, and that comes with a lot of flair, some awkward but well-fitting special effects, and a loudness that rings through. It's not perfect, but it's a good time, and that's all Twisted Metal has ever been," But Why Tho? critic Kate Sánchez points out.
"Twisted Metal is absurd and hilarious in exactly the ways you want a dystopian Cannonball Run to be," says IGN's Matt Fowler. "Yes, it matches the games' crude humor but, mostly, it springboards from there and creates its own dark and warped wasteland sensibilities."
"Twisted Metal is a huge surprise of a series. While the story is a fairly simple and straightforward one, the characters and their journey create engaging complexities filled with sarcastic interactions and violent action sequences," adds Movies and Munchies' Chris Joyce.
"Fulfills the promise of ultra-violent comic mayhem. It won't win any new fans, but should satisfy those who love the Playstation game," says United Press International's Fred Tobel.
"Twisted Metal is a glorious blast of unrepentant carnage. The big surprise is a smarter than expected plot with several clever reveals," MovieWeb's Julian Roman writes. "Old school fans and neophytes alike are going to love this crazy summer joyride."
Not everyone was won over by the action comedy, however.
Twisted Metal is "an aggressively unfunny adaptation of a one-dimensional decades-old PlayStation franchise that few still care about, Peacock's R-rated action-comedy breaks down from the start and never recovers," writes The Daily Beast's Nick Schager.
Elsewhere, RogerEbert.com's Rendy Jones argues it's nothing more than "a middle-of-the-road action-comedy for Peacock from the Deadpool and Zombieland dudes."
Twisted Metal is streaming on Peacock in the US now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting new TV shows heading our way throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond.
