KAOS review: More mundane than mad

A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls, and KAOS reigns. It’s a blinder of a hook… but, in practice, the Netflix series is a bit blander.

Typically, we’re one of two types of people – we know intricate details of Greek history only befitting a pub quiz, or we’re completely ignorant of it. Either one of these attitudes probably would draw someone towards Netflix‘s new TV show, but it turns out your historical allegiance doesn’t matter. Not only is KAOS its own mangling of fact, chaos it ain’t.

Starring Jeff Goldblum in his rightful place (the God of all Gods, Zeus), KAOS reimagines mythology through the eyes of six humans, each learning they’re a part of something much bigger. Amazingly, this all stems from Zeus noticing a new wrinkle on his forehead and absolutely losing his sh*t, fearing his reign of terror will come to an end.

In fairness to this adaptation, that’s exactly the sort of way Goldblum would realize impending destruction, but sadly we’re not here to admire his unique charm that could frankly sustain us all through an apocalypse. We’re here for the Gods, dammit – and it’s all a bit disjointed. Creator Charlie Covell has a lot of plates spinning, and none of them even come close to The End of the F**king World.

KAOS shines a light on Netflix’s biggest problem

I will bet you $5 that 10 minutes after you finish Episode 1, you won’t actually remember what happened. You’ll have clocked the general basics of Zeus’ family structure, a very strange confession booth, and a man who really wants a kebab, but the details are instantly hazy. A significant part of this comes down to the structure of each episode, weaving a historical tapestry it can’t really keep up with… but there’s another issue.

You’ve never seen the show before, but you also have. In short, KAOS looks exactly like every Netflix show ever made, and that’s a problem. We’re all aware of it yet not really talking about it — the streaming service has homogenized all of its content into one slick-looking blueprint, and it’s getting pretty hard to tell anything apart. Same color grading, same approach to VFX, and same overall styling. Not exactly a God-like move.

It’s hard to gather enthusiasm for something that’s seemingly so run of the mill but you can’t put your finger on why. Nothing is bad or offensive, nor is anything inspiring enough to lift you out of the monotony of binge-watching. First world, problems really but… come on. If we’re forking out for expensive subscriptions and Netflix has bags of money to chuck at production, let’s reach beyond the stars.

What happens when the classics go modern

Then there’s the content itself. Goldblum is effectively playing himself if he had the power to change the weather, and nobody else really stands out enough to share the load. Doctor Who legend Billie Piper is unsettlingly shoehorned into the action too, like being at one of those Shakespeare productions put on for teens who don’t want to learn A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

If anything, KAOS is an incredibly intriguing case study for what happens when you try to modernize classic history. Rarely, it can go the way of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, but mainly it flounders too far from what’s familiar. There’s a huge disconnect between the story aching to be told and what we’re seeing on screen, and that happens purely because of the intended creative direction.

But do we actually care about the story that is being told? The gang is all here, from Zeus and Hera to Medua and Posiedon. If historical bods are watching, they’re going to be annoyed by the lack of accuracy. If someone is only familiar with the name Zeus, they’ll likely be bamboozled trying to follow the logic behind the flashy rationale. If you want to watch kids effectively estranged from their families, just rewatch Skins.

KAOS review score: 2/5

If it wasn’t for this review, I’d have stopped watching KAOS about 20 minutes in. In a more appreciative mood, I’d have definitely stopped by Episode 3. But I pushed through for you, my friends. I hope you appreciate that.

There is definitely something here – or rather, there’s something that could have been here. That’s tangible, and it’s a shame nothing is realizing its full potential. There’s an extra star awarded here purely for Goldblum showing up. Me unintentionally being hard on him would likely be the first thing Saint Peter shows on Heaven’s jumbo screen upon my entry, and I don’t want to take any chances.

KAOS is on Netflix now. For more streaming service updates, check out the latest news on Virgin River Season 6, Stranger Things Season 5, and Heartstopper Season 3. You can also find more TV shows streaming this month.