Riverdale PILOT Review

A noir film with the colour of a comic book

“Riverdale” is a 2017 TV show on the CW. It is a remaining of Archie Comics and it’s so different from the original but it makes the right changes and allows for new fans to get into the property.
4 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

I just watched the pilot this morning and I’m in after 40 minutes of watching. You get the typical teen angst and issues that are expected of the CW and of the characters but there is much more behind the layers. The connections are engaging and I hope it doesn’t get typical but it seems to be laying enough seeds to give the series the depth it needs to have to be more than just another teen drama. Everything matches, everything is connected and everything is so perfect, there are so many levels that diving in is going to be fun.

The cinematography is brought to another level by the way it mixes through multiple genres. The main thematic idea comes from noir filmmaking and that is evident in every frame. One key part of noir is the comparison between the dark blacks and bright whites and that is showcased in shining colour through the way all the characters are stylized. The way the vibrant colours create the comic book aesthetic that brings these classic characters to life is amazing.

Archie’s hair is a loveable mess. The girls are lovable together yet you want both of them to get what they want. Jughead is an interesting twist as he is only a narrator so far not a character but I look forward to the future. The surrounding cast is the best part of comic styling with real world ideas. The references to other TV and film fly so fast but they are fun.

Really looking forward to watching this for the next couple of months. 😎