Becoming The Muse

Supacell Review

Supacell is a 2024 British superhero television series created, written and directed by Rapman. The six episode series premiered on Netflix on the 27^th of June 2024.

The premise of the show follows 5 ordinary people from South London who suddenly manifest super powers and with great power comes… decisions and consequences.

The good

Its not another superhero series…, ok fine yes it’s a super hero series, but it’s a different take on the genre… When ordinary South London people just trying to survive in the rat race that keeps working against them gain superhuman powers are they going to suddenly become some benevolent neighbourhood superhero or look out for number 1?

The character driven series has episodes named after each of the five main characters, Michael, Tazer, Sabrina, Andre and Michaeal giving their backstories;
A drug dealer struggling to make a quick buck, an underdog gangster trying to earn money, power and respect, an ex-con who cant hold down a job because of their record, a sibling looking out for theirs and a delivery man simply trying to build a future with the love of his life….

The cast deliver a strong performance, giving the series a gripping relatability and depth. Hadnt seen any of them in anything else but after this show I would definitely be on the look out for anything else they are in.

Supacell has some well executed action scenes with very cool special effects for the superpowers. What never got old was the yellow-glowing-eyes thingie that preceded a character using their powers, mesmerising, thrilling and scary at the same time.

The soundtrack is pretty dope too, which makes sense when you consider the showrunner goes by the name Rapman who is also a rapper, songwriter and record producer.

While the show has a gangster rap vibe, at its core it’s a social commentary on microaggressions, the gangster culture, crime, immigrants and racial profiling.

The Bad

The opening seems to set it up as a fast moving action series, but it plays out as a slow paced drama with spaced out special effect scenes for the most part and when it does pick up intensity and speed, goes a little too fast and suddenly its finished…

Following the plot spread across several key characters gives it a fragmented feel and it seems to drag when its away from a storyline one is more invested in, with some parts not getting as much focus as others.

Ultimately the show feels like an extended introduction and ends at the point where one would actually think right, “Ooh its on now!!!!” and thats the season finale.. They should have probably called it Supacell Begins 😂

The Ugly

The shows seems to glorify gangster culture, drugs and crime. Sure there’s some redemption arcs but most of the characters pursue a selfish use of their abilities – Maybe that’s a reflection of society and reality, a broken system spewing out broken people….  🤔

Final Thoughts

Supacell is a fun and gripping watch, with only 6 episodes, its an easy binge that you will finish and start searching the internet for a second season.

Currently the renewal status of the show is unknown, but looking at how it went to the top of charts days after its release, I would say its likely to get renewed for a second season.

Have you watched Supacell. If you could pick a superpower which one would you want and how would you use it?

~B