Pennyworth (spoiler-free) review: A solid addition to the Batman lore

Pennyworth is a solid addition to the Batman lore and an equally amazing action thriller which gives us an effective origin story to Batman’s beloved butler.

Pennyworth follows the story of Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon), a special-forces officer working for Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne, who becomes Batman’s butler in his prime. The show is written by Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, the duo behind Fox’s hit show Gotham which also was a Batman prequel.

It is essentially an origin story to the character that is loved by millions.

The Alfred in Pennyworth is in his twenties. He used to be a British SAS soldier before leaving the service to starts his own security company in 1960s London. The premise is not only unique in terms of tv but is also really British since it navigates a specific period of time in England.

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The show is a little slow during the first episode but by the end of its pilot, it essentially becomes a gripping, violent and an action-packed thriller all while following the rules of comic books.

Alfred totally kicks ass in this series and Jack Bannon is a real delight as Alfred. He is equal parts charming and funny and knows how to get the things done. He totally comes off as a younger version of Michael Caine all while being unique on his own. His companions in his journey include his soldier friends, Bazza (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and Dave Boy (Ryan Fletcher). Both of whom are great in their respective roles.

The Alfred here is very different then what we are used to and you will learn about the horrors of his past in a pretty gruesome way. As you can expect from any Batman property, it is quite dark, which I love.

I have seen it compared to James Bond, with people calling it the James Bond tv show we never got. That’s all very fair since it really is a pretty darn good spy thriller.

There are some really unexpected moments throughout the first half of the season (only the first five episodes were provided for review). So, I can safely say that Pennyworth has a whole lot of fascinating intrigue to it. I also loved the way they went with the storytelling, it works for the better of the series.

I absolutely loved the cinematography in Gotham with Danny Canon behind it. He is also behind the cinematography in Pennyworth and it also looks dazzling and has a retro feel to it.

When I first heard the news that they were making a Pennyworth series, I really thought it was a stupid idea. But now, after seeing the first five episodes, I can safely say that Pennyworth is worth your time. It’s new and unique. It does not suffer from superhero fatigue. It reaches more heights than its original premise made it sound it could. It is a perfect blend of humor and action with both a darkness and an intrigue to it.

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The series is set to premiere on Epix at Sunday, July 28, 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Pennyworth stars Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Emma Corrin, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Ryan Fletcher, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker, Ian Puleston-Davies, Dorothy Atkinson, Jason Flemyng, and Emma Paetz.

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