I am most definitely not one to swoon over superheroes–unless Marvel’s next franchise is titled Nandor the Relentless, I really couldn’t care less about even the smallest star in that entire universe. But, if forced, I would have to confess that Batman is the one superhero who has managed to capture my imagination the most in recent years. Now, granted, that is largely due to Christopher Nolan’s genius and his trilogy of Batman films that wandered so far away from what could be considered superhero fare that you almost forgot you were watching characters that originated in comic books. Credit also needs to go to Warner Bros and DC Entertainment for keeping Nolan’s flame lit by continuing to produce visionary, imaginative, innovative and artistically expansive stories from the Batman universe. Recent films like Birds of Prey, Joker and The Batman all generated rave reviews and the series Harley Quinn 
is one of the most heralded animated series on television. And now comes The Penguin, a limited series spinoff from Matt Reeves’ The Batman film from 2022, and this series is the best Batman offspring since Nolan’s films.
First of all, do not worry if you aren’t a Batman connoisseur. Unlike the Marvel films, where you have to know every character’s backstory and understand all the easter eggs and inside jokes to get the least bit of pleasure out of them, The Penguin can be enjoyed truly as a standalone series, even if you know nothing about the Batman universe.
Basically, The Penguin (2024) is a mob story. Colin Farrell, his beautiful face hidden beneath a ton of soon-to-be Emmy-winning makeup, plays mob driver Oz Cobb, aka The Penguin, who has dreams of taking over from the crime bosses that run the city of Gotham. In his way are the two major families and a whole bunch of smaller gangs who run rampant in a lawless and corrupt town. Oz is smart and ambitious, unafraid to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, and he does all of it.
The biggest obstacle in Oz’s way is Sofia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti, the daughter of Gotham’s top crime boss, fresh out of Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane and is vowing to seek vengeance on those who put her there.
If you love mob stories, if you love the mafia, you’ll love The Penguin. Seriously, you’ll forget all about the comic book stuff, this is so good. It’s more Sopranos than Batman in every way.
But, when it’s not a classic mob story, The Penguin is an exceptionally-done character piece, an exploration of broken people in a broken world, which is honestly much more fascinating and compelling than it sounds. In this world, there is a deeper understanding of humanity because everyone is so desperate to hold onto it. Of course, the flipside is there can be deeper cruelties and deeper sufferings. I could have done without the scenes from Arkham, but watching Milioti’s magnificent performance made all of it almost tolerable. Milioti is sensational, worthy of every bouquet she is getting from critics for her performance here. She could have taken this role so over the top, yet she plays it perfectly, with just enough menace, pain and restlessness to make it almost fun. Almost. I first noticed Milioti in Palm Springs, my #1 film of 2020, so I shouldn’t be surprised by how good she is, but now the rest of the world will know too.
But we can’t bury the lede here. Colin Farrell is a god. The most underrated, underappreciated, and certainly under-awarded actor of his generation, Colin Farrell is, quite possibly, the best actor that nobody talks about. His performances in In Bruges, The Lobster, True Detective and After Yang alone are comparable to anyone, but just look at the list of his last five credits: The Batman, Thirteen Lives, The Banshees of Inisherin, Sugar and The Penguin. Granted, the first and the last on that list he’s playing the same character, but that list is five projects in two years and Farrell delivers an absolutely incredible performance in each one. What other actor is on a run like Farrell?
If you are seeing the trailer of The Penguin and wonder, where is Colin Farrell, well, yes, that’s him. Underneath all that makeup. Limping, wearing that fat suit. But what’s so staggering about it is he uses those elements to enhance his performance, not create it. The character of Oz is so deeply embedded in Farrell’s performance, in his eyes, in his voice, in his mannerisms, the physicality feels like a layer that grew naturally like a scab over a wound. He makes it all seem so natural, it’s a testament to his inordinate gifts as an actor, and we’re all the luckier for it.
The Penguin is dark, it is violent and Gotham is a dirty, awful place to spend time, all that is true. There are elements and hints of the comic book, and fans of the Batman legacy will love all the easter eggs and nods and winks they get. But what makes The Penguin so worthwhile is the expansive world it paints, the characters, backstories, motivations, emotions, histories and traumas it explores. I found this world, with these people, to be fascinating, and one I look forward to spending more time in. It may not be fun, but boy is it absolutely riveting.
The Penguin’s first season (8 episodes) can be streamed on Max.