‘Sweet Tooth’ Review: Netflix’s Fantasy-Adventure Series Crafts a Spielbergian Fairy Tale
Jim Mickle's engrossing adaptation of Jeff Lemire's comic book series provides a warm escapist fantasy for those who can get past its one intrusive tie to reality.
Thankfully, and in spite of itself to some extent, "Sweet Tooth" manages to thread the needle. (Or thread the thread?) Based on the DC comic books by Jeff Lemire and adapted by Jim Mickle (who serves as co-writer, director, and executive producer) "Hap & Leonards", an eight-part Netflix series Hybrid Deer "-Boy" (His Words) who travels to a post-apocalyptic America in search of his mother, accompanied by a former pro football star whose past sins far exceeded the helmet-to-helmet penalty. Deep are and a young girl who started an army of beasts-hybrid wannabes.
If that sounds like a lot, well, sometimes it does — for example, humanity has been nearly wiped out by a viral pandemic called The Sick — but don't worry. On paper, “Sweet Tooth” sounds as weird and different as some CGI hybrid baby looks (prosthetics all the way), but it should feel familiar (in a mostly comfortable way) to anyone older than a deer-guy named Gus. (Christian Convery). After all, just like Gus, it's structurally engineered for kids to engage with.
"Some stories start from the beginning... Our story begins here." This introduction comes from James Brolin, the series' unseen narrator, and like many of his more gargled chestnuts, the line never really makes sense. It just feels good, which turns out to be good enough. At an unspecified time in the future, two disconnected events occur at the same time: First, a viral outbreak spreads across the globe. Dr Aditya Singh (played by a classic Adil Akhtar) is the first to notice its deadly effects, when a patient comes in with flu-like symptoms and a twitch in his pinky finger. Thinking it would go away like the common cold, he sends her home with antibiotics, only to panic about her early return with worsening symptoms. Soon, hospitals are overwhelmed, people become increasingly desperate, and Dr. Singh has to flee his suburban neighborhood with his infected wife, Rani (Alija Vellani), or risk being taken away from him by the government.
It all moves fast in a six-minute montage, and if that sounds a little too close to see a year's worth of life in your worst fears, that's because it is. But "Sweet Tooth" wasn't created to provide commentary on COVID-19 (its origins go back a decade), which makes the second simultaneous event even more significant than the six-minute intro. Suddenly and without any explanation, hybrid babies begin to be born. Part human and part animal, these natural anomalies are widely regarded with fear and disgust, even by the innocent parents who bore them. This kind of hatred isn't motivated by accusations of animality - it's a children's show! - But because when the world is falling apart, anything falls apart with disaster.
Throughout "Sweet Tooth", which mostly occurs 10 years after the disease begins, characters repeatedly state that hybrids do not cause disease; This is a shoddy association created by a scared, misinformed public. Lucky for Gus, who was born with ever-growing horns and fawn-like ears, his "Pabba" (in another impressive theatrical performance by Will Forte) leads him into the woods as chaos begins. There, he raises his hybrid child to protect himself, respect the earth, and drink maple syrup, which they make together from the sap of the tree. But, as is the case when the men flee to the woods, the real world eventually finds them, and Gus is sent on a lonely adventure to find his mother.
Tommy "Jep" Jeppard (a lovable nonso enozzie) and later, a girl named Bear (Stephania LaVie Owen), Gus's journey through lush, brightly saturated wildlife and random new communities is broken up by the stories you'll find yourself in. Know the A-plot by the end of the season. Dr. Singh is still working hard to save his wife; Amy (Danía Ramirez), a former doctor who finds a renewed vigor for life when she is forced to fend for herself; and General Steven Abbott (Neil Sandilands), leader of The Last Men, an army to exterminate and experiment with the hybrids, whom they blame for The Sick.
While the show never bows under the weight of its ever-expanding cast—the sharp storytelling results in just over 50 minutes in two episodes and two more under 40—a calculated simplification takes on "Sweet Tooth". is hung. Each character's main motivation lies in their desire to unite their family. Gus (nicknamed Sweet Tooth because of his love of candy) is trying to find his long-lost mother; Jep struggles to cope with the loss of his wife and daughter; Dr. Singh's only concern is his wife's health; Amy is an orphan and hates adults because of this.
Each episode's new setting also offers a broader type of wish fulfillment, as children get to live in an amusement park (without parents) and adults can (probably) embrace the dream of being alone in the woods. in an abandoned but adorable cottage, perhaps in a stately national park visitor center on the side of a mountain). Teenagers, meanwhile, spoon out the message of the day: The older generation is bad, they have spoiled the world, and their children will do better because they are better.
This kind of candid catering for youth demos can make "Sweet Tooth" feel a little narrow-minded, like a cute doll who can speak in full sentences but they're all about the importance of family. Still, there's a reason why Steven Spielberg has had so much success telling stories of parents and kids coming together: People eat that crap. The series' skillful storytelling, world-building, and character work make it easy to turn off your brain and enjoy the adventure (that is, if you can overcome The Sick). The strong performances help too, and with the smooth working of so many important core ingredients, it's all too easy to go easy for a short fantasy-adventure series. "Sweet Tooth" may not offer a complete meal, but sometimes all you need is a good piece of chocolate.