Critical Condition: Good Omens

Good Omens | Amazon Prime Video, from Friday

☆☆☆☆ “Based on the book Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by esteemed writers Terry Pratchett (Discworld) and Neil Gaiman (American Gods, The Ocean at the End of the Lane), both of whom are legends in the fantasy world (and Gaiman beyond), Good Omens was a labour of love that finally came about … with great world-building fantasy glee, as Gaiman wrote all six episodes and shepherded the complex (and funny) story to an end that works both as a full conclusion should he not want to write a second season (Gaiman has a lot of projects) and as a pause before a logical second season.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

☆☆☆☆ “The Lord really does work in mysterious ways in Good Omens, which — given the recent abundance of apocalyptic series — is surprisingly good, and even when it lags, considerable fun … Most of the show’s charm hinges on the unlikely camaraderie between an Angel and a Demon, played, with considerable gusto, by Michael Sheen and David Tennant … Basically, think of them as two middle-level employees of rival companies, each dealing with the bureaucracy and questionable edicts from their respective management.” — CNN.

☆☆☆☆ “Good Omens works best when Crowley and Aziraphale question their orders and rationalise their decisions. It helps that Sheen and Tennant build chemistry to spare, with the Masters of Sex star going all wide-eyed and innocent while the former Doctor (Who) relishes the chance to shout, snarl, and snap at every other sentence. But they’re also given plenty to chew on; Gaiman never excuses their innate disparity in order to make things easier on them or the audience.”  — IndieWire.

☆☆☆☆ “This six-hour journey towards the end of time comes to feel grindingly slow by the end, more anticlimax than fight for Earth’s future … In cramming in quite so much incident and varyingly successful attempts at humour, Good Omens traverses a great deal of ground. That it ends up saying so little feels like a missed opportunity.” — Variety.

☆☆☆☆ “The first episode, I will grudgingly admit, was mildly entertaining, largely because Tennant and Sheen are so good together. But once the novelty of their double act had worn off – Tennant channels a thin-as-a-streak-of-bacon rock star vibe; Sheen looks and sounds like the very kind and camp bastard child of Boris Johnson and Billy Bunter – weariness soon set in. Such archness. Such ostentatious charm and so-called wit.” — New Statesman.