Twisted Metal starring Anthony Mackie is now airing on Peacock. The series was inspired by the classic PlayStation game of the same title. Unlike The Last of Us, the series did not stick to the game script—although it still retained characters from the game.
The “high-octane action comedy [is] about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland,” read the series info. “With the help of a badass axe-wielding car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck”.
ALSO READ: The Last Of Us Part II Will Likely Span Beyond 1 Season
The clown in question is Sweet Tooth, a psychopathic serial killer that last appeared in the 2012 reboot of the game on PlayStation 3. In the game, Sweet Tooth was after a girl who presumably was his only surviving victim. The girl stabbed the clown in one eye using a pair of scissors before running into the woods.
After spluttering blood in the room and throwing rage at a family portrait, Sweet Tooth vowed to find her and put her head in an ice box. Years later, he entered an awkwardly destructive car battle organized by a man who parades himself as a seer.
Sweet Tooth intends to ask the seer to tell him the whereabouts of the girl that escaped from his grip many years ago—if he wins the battle. The game was not story heavy. Rather, the focus was on allowing players to enjoy the thrill of demolishing 8 other drivers in a car rage that can only have one winner. Therefore, it is not surprising that the movie script was different.
Twisted Metal series chose a story-driven narrative
At the time of writing this post, Twisted Metal had an average critical score of 64% which was a decline from what we saw on the CBR review. As more fans tune into the show and drop their review, that score will certainly swing—although it may be hard to tell the direction of the swing. The average audience score was remarkably higher at 90%.
Playing the role of John Doe was Anthony Mackie, a struggling courier called ‘milkman’ who was tasked with delivering a mysterious package across a murderous wasteland. He would meet bloodthirsty characters along the journey—some of who are characters culled from the game. They all are bent on taking possession of Doe’s cargo.
ALSO READ: The Last Of Us Movie Reveals Why Ellie Is Immune
A successful delivery of the cargo is bound to give Doe a better life. However, to succeed, he has to somehow conjure a harmonious relationship with an axe-wielding carjacker called Quiet, brought to life by Stephanie Beatriz. The most iconic character—and a familiar face—is Sweet Tooth brought to life by WWE superstar Samoa Joe.
While there were other characters from the game—like Pennywise—that could have been featured in Twisted Metal Series, Sweet Tooth stood out among them all for a reason described by Will Arnett, the acclaimed comedian who voiced the villain in the TV series.
“Pennywise seems really scary in a way that haunts your dreams,” said Arnett. “Sweet Tooth is pretty above board. He’s just going to kill you. You know what I mean? He’s funnier than those other clowns.”
Twisted Metal’s humor doesn’t hold up?
While humor is a subjective topic, some fans of Twisted Metal have said there is nothing humorous about the series. The re-written Twisted Metal story was built on dark humor which may be why some of the movie audience found it hard to digest.
“An aggressively unfunny adaptation of a one-dimensional decades-old PlayStation franchise that few still care about,” was how Nick Schager of The Daily Beast described Twisted Metal. “Peacock’s R-rated action-comedy breaks down from the start and never recovers.”
ALSO READ: Gran Turismo Movie Adaptation Is Coming To Cinemas August 11
However, those that comprehend dark humor appreciated the work that Peacock and the talented cast of Twisted Metal put into the show to bring the new universe alive—this is regardless of whether they were gamers or not.
“I haven’t been into video games since Ms. Pac-Man was all the rage, but I can’t imagine that PlayStation’s Twisted Metal was as much fun to play as its TV adaptation is to watch,” was the views shared by Neal Justin of Minneapolis Star Tribune.
By the way, Twisted Metal is one of the new games added to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for July 2023. The game was available on the platform from July 18.
Have you seen the Twisted Metal TV adaptation by Peacock? How will you rate the series from 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
Remember to share and bookmark this website to stay up to date on all the hottest news in the gaming industry.
