Golden Axe Animated Series Review

Golden Axe premiered on September 16th on Paramount+. It's reasonable to feel somewhat skeptical about the show going in, given the trend of snarky, self-aware animated series. In addition, jokes centered around fantasy stories are not exactly new, ranging from The Princess Bride to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. After watching the entire first season, I can confirm that Golden Axe lives up to expectations, offering a lively, high-energy cartoon rendition of characters and concepts from the 1989 SEGA game and its sequels.

While adapting an established IP can be tricky, especially for fans who may feel possessive about their beloved universe, Golden Axe seems like a more palatable choice than some similar titles. The franchise's heyday was in the arcade era, its most recent game release was in 2008 and it lacks a deep mythology. However, despite the presence of angry comments expressing disappointment at the comedic take on a serious property, Golden Axe remains a genuinely fun game and the show never comes across as spiteful towards its source material.

The original heroes Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead are all present, but the storyline begins with Gilius having a disagreement with the others, leading him on a separate journey through Yuria with a new character, Hampton Squib. Ax and Tyris join forces with Chronos, a character introduced in Golden Axe III, to defeat the villainous Death Adder, who wields the powerful Golden Axe.

Matthew Rhys delivers a standout performance as Gilius, exuding the battle dwarf's stubbornness and zest. Danny Pudi and Liam McIntyre bring youthful optimism to their roles as comedic duo Hampton and Ax, while Lisa Gilroy, Carl Tart, and Stephanie Beatriz add humor and likability to Tyris, Chronos, and a new skeleton character, respectively.

The show's humor, reminiscent of Rick and Morty and Star Trek: Lower Decks, is fast-paced but occasionally hits obvious targets. However, the pacing improves as the season progresses, and the characters develop into more relatable and entertaining personalities.