Critical Condition: Legion

Legion (SoHo, 8.30 Thursdays)

“The first three episodes of this X-Men-styled mutant melodrama are superb, and the pilot in particular is an all-timer, but the whole thing is so aesthetically fresh that I could see myself continuing to watch it even if it suddenly became dumb as hell, just to see what new storytelling trick showrunner Noah Hawley and his collaborators have up their puffy magicians’ sleeves.” — New York Magazine.

“Legion presents a superhero drama as psychic journey, distinguishing itself in an overcrowded genre by setting its most compelling drama in its protagonist’s mind. It’s no ordinary comic-book show: it’s a head trip, and it’s spectacular … You will not always know what’s real in Legion, but the thrills are 100 percent genuine.” — New York Times.

“Noah Hawley from Fargo brings an obscure Marvel property to intriguing life with a visual masterpiece about mental illness and mutant powers …  Hawley has essentially found an intellectual backdoor into the mutant X-Men concept and reimagines how to tell that kind of story in a riveting, off-kilter visual way.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

“Legion is not timid. It offers a jittery take on many of the genre’s familiar themes, and it hurls them together with such boldness that the entire concoction ends up carrying quite a kick … It won’t be for everyone, but those who are pulled into the surreal, jagged orbit of this distinctive drama are likely to stay there for the full eight-episode run. It is, literally and figuratively, a trip — and it’s often an exhilarating one.” — Variety.

“It all adds up to a show that attempts to draw intrigue from discordant notes and from fractured narrative, but that gives us little to hang onto. The show is visually dazzling, well-acted, and even aurally interesting, and I concluded its first three episodes with no clue who David Haller is, aside from a vector for familiar and easy tropes around mental illness and a way to keep the spectacle churning.” — Time.