Titans (2018)

Titans is a superhero hybrid -- a live-action series that essentially weds the CW's DC Comics-inspired fare with the gritty, premium-cable approach of Marvel's Netflix dramas. That's not a bad formula, and it yields an entertaining, heavily serialized show.

The superhero Sturm und Drang and personal melodrama that Titans offers is attractively packaged and reasonably entertaining in the early episodes. ... If you’re partial to the more serious end of the comic-book spectrum, you may already be watching “Black Lightning” on CW, “Jessica Jones” and a few others on Netflix, “Legion” on FX, “The Runaways” on Hulu and “Gotham” on Fox. “Titans” may deserve to join the list, but it’s a big ask.

The characters come together organically, with even guest heroes like Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) getting roped in. And though they bring a boatload of drama with them, they make for a welcome addition. ... Pacing issues in the debut episode aside, the directing and cinematography are rock solid.

Another superhero show is overkill, but for what it is, Titans strong-arms its way into acceptance and occasionally more (the series’ depiction of a Beaver Cleaver-style family of killers, introduced in episode two, is especially clever).

Titans is a try-too-hard stab at occupying a middle ground between grumpy, but still family friendly, DC offerings like The CW's Arrow and the definitely-not-for-kids Marvel shows on Netflix. ... What it doesn't mean, at least through the three episodes sent to critics, is any sort of extra creative depth or narrative exploration.

Thwaites doesn’t have anything near the gravitas required to pull off this self-righteously vicious approach. If you’re going to say “Fuck Batman,” that’s your right. But you’d better back it up with more than what Titans has to offer, or you just seem like a frustrated poseur who wants to seem much tougher and cooler than you can ever hope to be.