‘Titans’: The Live-Action Superhero Series We All Needed

When early last year news broke out of a live-action adaptation of “Teen Titans,” or in this case, “Titans,” excitement and dread filled the reactions of online media. For one, a TV show about this superhero team had been in talks of production since 2014, but had been put on hiatus and ultimately picked back up by DC in their new streaming service, DC Universe, leaving many childhood fans of both the cartoon show “Teen Titans” or comic book readers of “The New Teen Titans” with a sense of anticipation for the much-delayed work. On the other hand, virtual groans could be read on many social media outlets by these same fans, fearing another lackluster, cheesy adaptation of DC comic book characters by Greg Berlanti. However, after the premiere of the first season of “Titans,” it is safe to say that this is not the case.

Just like in the comics, “Titans” centers around a group of young individuals with fantastic abilities, but the show quickly deviates from its source material. Some main differences includes Robin (Brenton Thwaites) and Starfire (Anna Diop) being fully-grown adults while Raven (Teagan Croft) and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) remain teenagers, as well as the general increased darkness of the show. The latter is most striking, as throughout the pilot episode there is a lot of gore and violence, as well as a generally more serious tone which may surprise many childhood fans of the cartoon series.

This first episode largely sets the stage for what is to come during the rest of the season, so while it is not very plot intensive, it contains many key character introductions and setting immersions. Viewers follow the story of Raven, a teenage girl who is self-alienated from the rest of society because of a mysterious, violent darkness that lurks within her, and early in the episode, soon in the piece, her mother is murdered while mysterious Russian forces try to kidnap her. At the same time, Robin, former protégé of Batman, lives a somber life as a Detroit detective by day and vigilante by night, and begins helping Raven after the death of her mother. In the episode, both Starfire and Beast Boy are introduced, with Starfire making an astounding entrance as she wakes up from a car crash in Vienna with no memory of her identity, and tries to recollect her past as she finds a photo of Raven, who she was apparently looking for after burning a man alive who was trying to kill her. At the end, Beast Boy appears, as he quirkily steals a copy of a video game in the form of a tiger from a local security guard, bringing a charming moment to the episode.

Furthermore, the characters quickly become likable as their storylines are increasingly engaging. As the episode goes on, it is increasingly difficult to wait to find out what will happen to Raven after she was kidnapped, or what exactly happened to Starfire before the car crash. For the benefit of the average viewer with no background knowledge of the team, the show quickly develops the abilities of each individual and characterizes them uniquely. People who enjoy ensemble casts will likely find this show incredibly rewarding.

Unfortunately, there does lie one great weakness with the pilot episode which rests in its cringey visual effects. This is especially prominent with Raven, whose dark side emerges numerous times, and somewhat resembles filters on Snapchat. The visuals of Starfire when she burns a man alive are also rather unimpressive as well, with too much vibrance causing her to look very animated and artificial. However, compared to the choreography of the numerous fight sequences and the general engaging plot of the show, this is only a small downside.

The pilot episode of “Titans” largely exceeds expectations of the average superhero show developed by Greg Berlanti. There’s no need to fear another cringey adaptation disaster like “Arrow” or “Supergirl,” or even another “Riverdale,” because this week’s release quickly displays a complex storyline with admirable protagonists, even if the special effects can be laughable at times.