Into the Badlands on AMC seems like a guilty pleasure with some rich production values.

Maybe it can become something more…

Into the Badlandsis a lot of things.

Primarily, its a martial arts, kick-your-teeth-in action hour.

Thats the biggest takeaway from it.

Secondly, its a deep south adventure show, very reminiscent of the early 90sAction Packprogramming block.

Or, heck, 90s syndicated action shows in general.

(Except, okay, only one person really has a southern accent here.

Thirdly, its a quasi-adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West from the Ming dynasty.

Then, of course, we have the vague sci-fi/fantasy stuff.

And oh yeah, theres some noir in there too.

Ad content continues below

But theres this nice cheesy texture covering it all.

It tastes kinda likeMortal Kombat: Annihilation.

And you know what?

Like Cool Ranch Doritos tasty.

Yet Cool Ranch Doritos, just like any other species of Doritos, are guilty pleasures at best.

Not because its an action show, either.

The stunt sequences in the pilot are top shelf.

No, the guilt in the pleasure come from the Americanization it all.

It throws me off.

Its like a fusion cuisine dish on a Chilis happy hour menu.

Its not really authentic (am I hungry today, or what?).

Daniel Wu is great as Sunny.

What are the Badlands, anyway?

Im not really sure.

Theyre dangerous, I guess.

But there are no guns.

Everyone uses swords and fists.

Apparently there is honor in the Badlands.

Because post-apocalyptic wastelands full of poppies need a code of honor.

Starting off with an action scene was exactly what the show needed to do to introduce itself.

I think thats the riskiest part of the show overall, actually: how overly complex it is.

Especially since were all there for the action.

There were some scenes that ran on too long with characters I was barely interested in.

Not because I didnt know anything about them, but because they werent very interesting.

Im sure it will have bearing on the plot, but it comes across as filler-y.

The character of M.K.

feels like a TV Trope that I cant think of right now.

The introverted kid that has a superpowers or something.

Aramis Knight plays him well, but his demeanor s pretty one note so far.

He also has mutant powers when he gets upset, apparently.

(What did I tell you?

Total trope material.)

The Widow is probably the most intriguing character in the show besides Sunny.

Or maybe its just thatInto the Badlandsskipped the fast pace step of the Westernization process.

Rating:

3 out of 5