The Umbrella Academy

Netflix | Release Date: February 15, 2019

7.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 175 Ratings

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justsumnerdAug 1, 2020

Show is beyond decent however the Vanya story lines suck and here character is incredibly annoying. Just washed through her stuff. Otherwise good show.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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dtvJul 31, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The show had a promising first season but really loses points with season 2:

The series has made it a point to demonstrate 60's culture while managing to focus in specifically on race and sexual orientation relations. They've managed to capture anti-black sentiment well enough with Allison while simultaneously ignoring anti-white sentiment. All of this done with the ultimate message of standing up against the racist cops. The non-black, non-white characters (Diego and Lila) have donned their thickest plot armor and avoided any negative experience based on their race. This is beyond suspension of disbelief.

Speaking of Lila, Diego just kind of trusts her enough to bring her into the Umbrella Academy fold for some reason...? Whatever man, this show apparently has given up entirely on internal logic.

Vanya really stands out as the most one-note character in the show. It made a little more sense in season 1 because she was heavily medicated, but there's no excuse here. I can't actually tell if it's how the character is written or if it's just Ellen Page.

Klaus manages to somehow make his way through the south as a flamboyant homosexual without dealing with anti-gay sentiment outside of when the script specifically calls for it. The tipping point of ridiculosity is where Vanya finds herself having a lesbian make-out sesh/off-screen sexage with a stay-at-home, closeted lesbian mother who somehow managed to fall in love with her after only knowing each other for a month. It feels really forced and fake. Specifically, this feels like another example of gay culture being commodified in media to rake in all of the gay demographic dollars.

Genuinely just feels like someone's progressive, revisionist wet dream put to film. It's portrayed as a period piece but executed with modern socio-political attitudes that really don't fit. In some ways it feels like a shoddy attempt to recreate the vibe of Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. The Swedes started off as intriguing and kind of cool, but they don't get much development. They do have some really stand-out scenes, a flashback to their old life in an old family photo of them with their mom back in the day, and a rather cinematic viking burial ship scene. They have almost no dialogue and repeatedly fail in their role as the constantly-pursuing predators Hazel and Chacha were.

The last couple episodes are just... Just awful all around. Final episode went full Wolverine (2009) Weapon XI/"Deadpool" and clearly just stopped caring.

The majority of this season is more about fighting social injustice in the past to reflect contemporary views than it is about the cast getting back to their timeline or defeating the apocalypse. The real tragedy here is the cast, both main and supporting (Ellen Page aside), are phenomenal and fulfill their roles quite well. The script just suffers a serious lack of quality in comparison to season one. All in all a major let down.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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CheshireCadApr 2, 2020

The constant inter-sibling conflict and drama becomes difficult to watch. While their behavior makes sense in the context of an abusive upbringing, it's obvious that most of it is driven by the needs of the show. They lash out and hurt eachThe constant inter-sibling conflict and drama becomes difficult to watch. While their behavior makes sense in the context of an abusive upbringing, it's obvious that most of it is driven by the needs of the show. They lash out and hurt each other, purely to show how dysfunctional they are, even when they have no other reason.
This is especially evident with Diego, who's repulsive actions are always forgotten about as soon as the scene ends. Because, if anyone else ever acknowledged them and demanded an explanation, it would become obvious how often he doesn't have a reason for lashing out. Then the writers would lose their blank-check for instantaneous on-demand drama.
Maybe they're setting up for a second season of acknowledging and overcoming their dysfunction. But I don't trust that it's not just going to be more pointless, inconclusive drama.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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BubberAug 1, 2020

It's not very original, but it's OK entertainment when you have nothing better to watch. I just don't understand why anyone would choose Ellen Page for any kind of acting role, she's just not a good actor, but I guess when she retires theyIt's not very original, but it's OK entertainment when you have nothing better to watch. I just don't understand why anyone would choose Ellen Page for any kind of acting role, she's just not a good actor, but I guess when she retires they can find some kind of use for her giant forehead.

Season 1 is better than season 2.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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MZCDAug 20, 2020

Season 1 is great. Good character development and excellent writing. Season 2 is pure **** i made a metacritic account just to warn people to avoid season 2

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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dc127Aug 15, 2020

I really likes Season 1. It wasn't perfect, but overall I enjoyed watching it. There was a quirky vibe that I just dug. Season 2 isn't very good. The reason is Ellen Page and Vanya. She is wooden in every scene that she is in. Her characterI really likes Season 1. It wasn't perfect, but overall I enjoyed watching it. There was a quirky vibe that I just dug. Season 2 isn't very good. The reason is Ellen Page and Vanya. She is wooden in every scene that she is in. Her character kills people left and right that get in her way, she is the cause of another apocalypse and, well they just forgive her. Put a bullet in her head and move on. Of special note is that that they clearly pander to Paige's personal sexual orientation. In season one she has a relationship with a man. In season 2 she is an out and proud lesbian who seduces a stay at home mom that happens to be a closeted lesbian. In the process she breaks up the family, steals the man's money, steals his child, and when he tries and stop her Vanya kills him. The show makes HER out to be the victim. This isn't an issue about the topic. Klaus is gay and his story is incredibly well done. Allison's story with the civil rights movement and being black in the south in the 60's is amazing. Page is just terrible as is her character. It was by far the weakest part of the show.

So season 1 is a 7 or 8. Season 2 would be a 6 or 7 excluding everything Page touches.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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eva3si0nJun 22, 2019

The Umbrella Academy causes conflicting feelings. The first season was not bad the first 5 episodes, but the final was open and the viewer did not receive the completion of the story. And now comes season 2. The change of setting of courseThe Umbrella Academy causes conflicting feelings. The first season was not bad the first 5 episodes, but the final was open and the viewer did not receive the completion of the story. And now comes season 2. The change of setting of course benefited the series, the era of the 60s was not transferred badly, not without the "Russian cranberries of course." And although the season 2 finale is open again, the plot has at least moved off the ground.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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All_ButTrU4Jun 22, 2022

A quirky absurdist take on the superhero genre is a refreshing rebellion against the hoarding constraints of the marvel corporations public dominion of successful superhero adaptation . Umbrella academy makes a good case often times for it'sA quirky absurdist take on the superhero genre is a refreshing rebellion against the hoarding constraints of the marvel corporations public dominion of successful superhero adaptation . Umbrella academy makes a good case often times for it's suspension of conventional tropes buy I get vexed by how often it forgets itself by either leaning in too hard on it's comic book orgin or just forgetting driving arcs out of convenience. The second season is by far the best one,it has the charaters at their most interesting as well as repackaging the reoccurring "doomsday" plot really well without it becoming mundane, predictable or boring. Season three however is an awkward joyless uneven ride pushed by stiff performances and exhausting arcs. It's very disappointing seeing how much it has regressed in quality from the cgi,performances & writing .… Expand

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HyrulianMumJun 23, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I guess they fired all the good writers for season 3. The first season of Umbrella Academy has an amazing opening scene, good character building, even if it's awkward in certain episodes like a bad soap opera (ep. 6 I'm looking at you). The second season of Umbrella Academy was simply amazing. Great script writing, funny jokes, very creative choreography, and characters that you loved to hate in season 1 are redeemed in season 2; however, season 3 is just bad. It's confusing. It lacks witty humor. It's missing Umbrella Academy's hallmark creative, choreographed dance and fight scenes. The CGI went back to the dark ages, and it felt like the writers didn't know the characters at all, or like they were intentionally trying to sabotage the show. The "good guys" were suddenly killing people for their own selfish reasons, and apparently everyone overlooked Allison sexually assaulting Luther. I had to fast-forward though most of this last season (3) and finally took it off my Netflix list. On a scale from 1 to 10 stars: Season 1 is 6.5 stars... Season 2 is a solid 10 stars... Season 3 is a giant poop emoji.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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