Netflix's post-apocalyptic fantasy series Sweet Tooth is receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics ahead of its release. Based on the Vertigo comics of the same name by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth follows a young boy called Gus (Christian Convery), one of the first in a generation of "hybrid" children born with animal features. Gus lives an isolated life in Yellowstone National Park, until one day he sets out to search for his mother with the reluctant help of a wanderer called Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie).
A TV adaptation of Sweet Tooth was originally set to release on Hulu when it was announced in 2018, but it later moved to Netflix. The series was created by Jim Mickle (We Are Who We Are) and Beth Schwartz (Arrow) and executive produced by Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey. Sweet Tooth was filmed in New Zealand in late 2020, in the heart of the coronavirus pandemic, and the real-world health crisis is reflected in the show's portrayal of a mysterious sickness that emerged at the same time as the first hybrid babies, causing the downfall of civilization.
Set for release on June 4, 2021, Sweet Tooth holds a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes as of the time of writing. Reviewers have praised the series' careful balance of dark themes and the post-apocalyptic with its perspective of childlike innocence, curiosity and optimism. Here's what the critics have to say:
"There’s great pleasure in reporting that for most of Jim Mickle’s adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s Vertigo comic, a precarious balance is handled with real deftness. Emotionally and geographically, this is a show with real epic scope, and it earns the laughter and occasional tears that it wrings from the audience thanks to a real and unquestionable, well, sweetness."
"It’s a show about how personal connections can both endanger and inspire us, an old-fashioned 'makeshift family' adventure story that feels both incredibly current and yet timeless in its structure, style, and emotion."
"Fittingly switching between sweetness and bite, Sweet Tooth is a children’s fable fit for grown-ups. It’s not startlingly original but is buoyed by affecting chemistry between Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie."
"An antidote to the grimdark worlds we usually see in apocalyptic fantasy and one brimming with love, hope, beauty, and, well, sweet treats... It’s in the complexity of human emotions that allows Sweet Tooth to rise above being a saccharine, feel-good distraction and fully become a surprisingly mature, impactful series."
"Although this is still unmistakably a dystopian tale, there's no misery porn to be found here. Instead, Sweet Tooth explores the realities of post-apocalyptic life without descending into a never-ending spiral of despair... Gone are the brilliantly drawn but grim comic-book panels and in their place stands a surprisingly gorgeous dystopian fairytale. Diehard fans of the comics that Sweet Tooth is based on shouldn't worry, though. Downey's adaptation reimagines and expands the source material in smart, respectful ways that still channel the essence of Lemire's message."
Sweet Tooth's Lone Wolf and Cub-esque dynamic of a precocious child travelling through a dangerous world with a jaded warrior has recently proved to be a recipe for success in Disney+ series The Mandalorian. While a lot of the show's appeal lies in the connection between Gus and Tommy, Sweet Tooth season 1 has another strong narrative hook: the mystery of exactly why babies one day started being born as hybrids, and what connection the hybrids have to the deadly virus that spread across the globe.
Reviews of Sweet Tooth praise the Netflix series for providing a counterpoint to a TV landscape that has become over-saturated with reflexively grim, gritty and bleak shows. Its bright, fairy-tale visuals help it to stand apart from post-apocalyptic stories that portray life after the fall of human civilization as gloomy and hopeless, and also make it appealing to older children as well as adults. This is a show with the potential for very broad viewership, and if general audiences love it as much as the critics, Netflix could be giving the green light to a second season very soon.
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