GENRE: Supernatural, drama, sci-fi, miniseries
One of SA’s first sci-fi shows has been released on Netflix, and with all the hype and marketing behind it, the expectations were high.
The Brave Ones is described as a superhero series, which makes sense to an extent, though the ‘magic’ referenced throughout is based more on mythology and folklore than sci-fi.
The story follows Ntsiki Gasa, a troubled young woman who discovers she is the reincarnation of The Brave One, a powerful being who possesses many special powers and the responsibility to protect the Tree of Life, which is under threat in the township of iLanga.
The cast is filled with South African actors who are all familiar faces on our screens, namely, Nomalanga Nkosi, Tony Kqoroge, Zamani Mbatha, and S’thandiwe Kgoroge.
The plotline is refreshing and tells a story of African gods and divine beings in a positive light, putting a fresh spin on the typical superhero story.
The story includes real-life issues like crime, forced removals, and corruption, issues South Africans unfortunately face on a daily basis.
The sci-fi elements are well-portrayed and the CGI is sufficient. The costume and design department pulled out all the stops though.
That said, with all the potential, this series somehow still manages to fall flat.
The six-episode miniseries is incredibly slow-paced at times, and too much time is spent on aspects that fail to advance the plot. The story has too many diverging plot points and fails to support the main story’s development. A lot of information is relayed about The Brave One yet after Ntsiki gains her powers, we never really see the full extent of those powers.
As such, the audience is unable to fully connect with her role as The Brave One.
But with more positive aspects to it than negative, The Brave Ones is certainly one of the better South African shows on the red and black app.
