Plot: Having long enjoyed his status as King of The Gods, Zeus’ reign has never been truly threatened. That is until he wakes up one morning and discovers a wrinkle on his forehead. Believing it to be the harbinger of an ancient prophecy which foretells his destruction, neurosis sets in: Zeus becomes convinced his fall is coming. As his paranoia takes hold, the God of Gods – seeing signs everywhere – starts to dangerously self-destruct. And he’s right to be worried. Zeus’ one time friend and now prisoner, Prometheus, is orchestrating a plan to bring him down. The plan involves three disparate humans, all of whom are totally unaware of their cosmic significance or the part they must play in saving the world. No pressure. (Some pressure).
Review: As a kid, I was obsessed with mythology. I consumed everything I could about Greek and Roman myths, including movies like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts. In recent years, we have gotten modernized takes like The Odyssey, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Immortals that have used cutting-edge special effects to bring the spectacle of ancient gods and goddesses to the silver screen. While superheroes have become the modern avenue for presenting myths on screen, the timeless genre has been ripe for a unique perspective. Charlie Covell’s Kaos transforms the Olympian deities from all-powerful beings to flawed idols. Echoing the tone of series like American Gods and The Boys, Kaos is a brilliant satire of ancient myths told through the lens of contemporary society. Chock full of sex, violence, and humor, Kaos is a blast from start to finish.
Set in modern-day Greece, Kaos finds the human population still worshipping the gods of Olympia. Led by Zeus (Jeff Goldblum), the gods guide the day-to-day existence of mankind, including their deaths and beyond. On the island of Crete, the populace is divided between believers and those who deny the gods their power. Zeus feels his power slipping and decides to take action. With his sister/wife Hera (Janet McTeer), brothers Poseidon (Cliff Curtis) and Hades (David Thewlis), and his son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan), Zeus orchestrates plagues and disasters upon mankind. At the same time, prophecies may hold the key to Zeus’ downfall, which involves Riddy (Aurora Perrineau) and Caneus (Misia Butler), along with others from the canon of Greek mythology, including the Fates, Furies, the Minotaur, Charon, and more. The eight-episode series chronicles multiple storylines that adapt and reinvent familiar myths in a whole new way, including updated interpretations woven across a diverse and eclectic ensemble cast.
Each chapter of Kaos combines multiple storylines, most narrated by a fourth-wall-breaking Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) still secured to a rock and having his liver eaten daily by a bird. The updated setting brings in modern conveniences like computers and mobile phones, yachts and limousines, rock concerts, and tracksuits to show a decadent divide between the common humans and their immortal rulers. The tone of Kaos is a balance between the satire of the rich seen in Succession, the hidden lives of idols from The Boys, and the reverent inclusion of mythos from American Gods. Altogether, these gods are beyond bad as they use their powers to torture and play with humanity for their own enjoyment, including creepy elements from tales of Zeus bedding humans, Hera turning people into animals, and all-around manipulation for their own pleasure. At the same time, the human side of the story adapts characters like Orpheus (Killian Scott) and his quest to rescue Eurydice from the Underworld, Ariadne (Leila Farzad) and her father King Minos (Stanley Townsend), and the Labyrinth created by Icarus’ father, Daedalus.
The stories are all brilliantly woven together to include Theseus, Medusa (Debi Mazar), Cassandra (Billie Piper), Persephone, Amazonians like Hippolyta (Suanne Braun), Trojan warriors, and many more. The stories all carry the structure of the myths we learned as kids but do not think for one minute that they will end similarly. There is a core narrative about Zeus and his fear of losing absolute power, played to perfection by Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum brings his trademark energy to the character, but at no point does he feel like a joke or a caricature. This Zeus is masterful and frightening, giving the story’s stakes even more heft. The gods are all shown as powerful, omnipotent, and immortal, but there is always a twist that could foretell their doom. The title of the series, Kaos, is uttered throughout the series, gaining meaning as the series reaches the finale.
The eight-episode series is directed by Georgi Banks-Davies (episodes 1,2,3,5 and 8) and Runyararo Mapfumo (episodes 4,6 and 7). Series creator Charlie Covell scripted the entire series with Georgia Christou credited on the sixth chapter. This decadent series is wickedly fun but also plays with deeply emotional material. Covell has created a story as timeless as the myths it is based on but perfectly updated to the twenty-first century. The soundtrack is chock full of familiar songs from the last thirty years; all cued at just the right moments. There is also a cool visual difference between the world of the living, Mount Olympus, and the Underworld, which helps orient the viewer to where each scene occurs. The production values are also quite good, blending real-world elements with this fictionalized country that looks like a slight variation of our own.
Kaos is a darkly funny update of ancient myths that fit the perception of society and class warfare. It takes the fights we see on Yellowstone and Succession and puts them to shame. The eighth episode leaves room for Kaos to become an ongoing series that further draws the battle lines between gods and mankind and between the gods. With many Olympians not yet glimpsed, there is room to mine even more legendary characters in subsequent seasons, with Kaos in a position to become the next Game of Thrones-style hit from Netflix. Be forewarned that this serious is sacrilegious in the best way possible, and you will be left wanting to brush up on your gods, nymphs, oracles, and all other manners of mythological beings.
Kaos premieres on August 29th on Netflix.