Catch-22 (2019)

A production that's intriguing but ultimately as thin as it is handsome, and emotionally removed in a way that dilutes the larger impact. For those reasons and perhaps others, unlike its conflicted hero, Catch-22 never quite takes off.

For a series that gradually loses its sharpness in its commentary on power and masculinity in wartime, Abbott’s performance constantly reminds you of what's so great about Heller’s book, but also what is timeless in making a dark comedy about war.

Of the sprawling cast, only a handful of actors even consistently seem to be aware that they’re in a comedy (albeit a very dark one). ... The songs, even the ballads, have rhythm and forward momentum that Catch-22 consistently lacks. The humor stumbles when it should swing.

Catch-22 is actually a more interesting, engaging show when it meanders, just kinda living dreamily among the odd cast of characters that populate the base around Yossarian.

Some bright spots aside—moments of inspired physical comedy from the erstwhile Dr. Doug Ross; a properly crackling translation of the promotion and closed-door policy of the fortunately named Major Major Major (Lewis Pullman)—settle instead for a tone that’s less about the maddening pointlessness of war and more about its bloody horrors, complete with mournful instrumental score.

A conventional, mostly laugh-free war story whose dominant notes are nostalgia, sentimentality and a resigned chagrin.

There are some admirable things in the series, some of which reflect the source material, and some of which work on their own terms, but generally speaking, the better you know the book, the more likely you are to yell at the screen, in the later episodes especially. Where it strikes off on its own, whether in dialogue or wholly new scenes, it tends to get obvious and flat.

Scenes between actors are often funny and rich. And then the picture wanders off to find another human encounter, leaving dead air in its wake. ... While the performances can be both comic and moving, the actors are mostly playing types—there’s a sense of Central Casting to the characterizations, which may be the intent of directors Clooney, Heslov and Kuras, or their writers.