'Kaos' Reviews: "The saving grace of KAOS is Goldblum"

         On August 29, 2024, Netflix released 'Kaos', which has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, currently holding at 74% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a Critics Consensus that reads, "A riff on Greek myth that is equal parts clever and overstuffed, Kaos falls just short of godly but still lands as a bolt of good fun." In the series, "As discord reigns on Mount Olympus and almighty Zeus spirals into paranoia, three mortals are destined to reshape the future of humankind." The ensemble cast includes Jeff Goldblum, Debi Mazar, Aurora Perrineau, and Fady Elsayed. But what did the critics say?

       Aramide Tinubu of Variety says, "Though the eight-episode series illustrates the dangers of power and greed, it falters due to bulky storylines and wearisome characters." Adding, "Kaos” has a similar tone to Netflix’s horror series “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Unfortunately, this dramedy struggles to remain captivating throughout. Though all of the gods, including Zeus’ yacht-living younger brother, Poseidon (Cliff Curtis), are intriguing on the surface, as the narrative moves forward, viewers discover there isn’t anything interesting about any of them. They are selfish, evil and solely focused on their own desires.  Moreover, while a garish, self-serving Zeus is amusing, even Goldblum, a master of wit and absurdities, can’t make the character compelling enough for the audience to care about his ruin or reign. McTeer, Rizwan and Curtis are all strong, but the characters themselves lack complexity and imagination. Instead, these gods are just versions of wealthy, revolting people we’ve seen depicted on-screen (and in real life) repeatedly."

Photo by Paul Bill on Unsplash

        Joel Keller of Decider praises the series, stating, "The saving grace of KAOS is Goldblum. As you might expect, he uses all of his signature neurotic, weird charm while playing Zeus, and when we see the human side of Zeus come out, we want to see nothing else. McTeer does a good job as Hera, playing off Zeus’ paranoia to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash."

       Andrew Murray of The Upcoming notes, "While the high levels of energy make for a highly entertaining watch, the overall quality is let down by a muddled script, which takes too long to get underway."

       Judy Berman of TIME Magazine writes, "It’s a clever, if not wholly original, premise, elevated by smart casting, sharp dialogue, and world-building that makes inspired use of some of Western culture’s most enduring lore." Continuing, "In the Netflix series KAOS, premiering Aug. 29, Prometheus—who was famously condemned by Zeus to be forever bound to a cliff and have his infinitely regenerating liver pecked out by an eagle—calls him a “transcendent, unmitigated bastard.” This kind of gloriously polysyllabic insult is a trademark of British comedy, and in this case, it comes courtesy of screenwriter and showrunner Charlie Covell, who created the cult teen dramedy The End of the F***ing World. With KAOS, Covell updates Greek mythology for a contemporary world where Jesus never arrived to chase away the old gods. In this telling, which mixes elements of comedy and political thriller, the Olympians are a sort of divine crime family; Jeff Goldblum, that master of oleaginous creepitude, stars as Zeus in a lightning-bolt-bedazzled tracksuit."