“I’m a rocketman.” Netflix is taking to the skies with its new series, Space Force. From the screenwriter of The Office, she plunges us into the heart of creating the sixth branch of the American armed forces. A risky bet for the platform which relies on Steve Carell to lead the boat. Does Space Force live up to our expectations?
In 2018, Donald Trump announced the creation of a sixth branch of the American armed forces, intended to establish the country’s dominance in space. It is this statement that will be the starting point for the new Netflix series, Space Force . The just awarded his fourth star, General Naird, is appointed head of the project. He must now lead the operations and, at the same time, find out what is going on.
To help him in this mission, he will be able to count on the scientist Dr. Adrian Mallory (John Malkovich), and the communications manager Tony Scarapiducci (Ben Schwartz). Aiming for the moon is their goal. To embody this elite unit Netflix calls upon several big names in comedy, starting with Steve Carell who plays the main character.It’s only a short step from the tyrannical boss in The Office to the meticulous and bossy general of Space Force.
He aptly embodies this wacky character, overwhelmed by the turn of events. Helped by sharp dialogues, the actor manages on several occasions to draw a broad smile, especially in his exchanges with the character played by John Malkovich. The latter puts away the cassock of The New Pope, to play a disillusioned scientist who must fight against all the odds to carry out his project. The verbal jousts between the two characters are enjoyable and the links they weave over the episodes allow you to really get attached to them.
Like a first meeting with a colleague, we will need a few episodes to understand them better. We will also highlight the admirable performance of Ben Schwartz, perfect in the role of the unbearable community manager for whom life boils down to a slew of hashtags. We will find Lisa Kudrow, who had marked the spirits with the lunar of Phoebe of Friends, this time in the skin of a loving woman and mother. Unfortunately, his screen presence will be confined to a few short scenes and that’s a shame.
With its 5-star cast and its starting premise, Space Force had everything to be the year’s comedy series. When the duo at the head of the project were announced, our hopes were high. It must be said that to write the screenplay, Netflix called on two leaders of the genre. The platform has debauched the creator of The Office, Greg Daniels, who, after exploring the world of work in the American adaptation of the English series, looks again at the subject in Space Force.
From the first moments, Space Force does not hide its intentions. The reality-inspired series paints an uncompromising portrait of a paradoxical America and a capricious President addicted to social networks. On several occasions, the writers have fun with government policy and do not hesitate to break the 4th wall. From uniforms sent by the first lady to problematic tweets from the president, Space Force does not hesitate to fall into the absurd.
Some sequences make strong references to Donald Trump’s blunders, without ever naming him. Conversely, the series does not hesitate to convey messages by venturing into the field of feminism or cultural appropriation. Without overdoing it, Space Force explores the twists and turns of our society but does not always manage to get it right. Some gags are sometimes redundant, but the double reading of the story allows the series to gain height. If the laughter is not always frank, the series can count on these creators’ bleeding humor to convince us.
However,In the second part of the season, it’s not really time to have fun as the plot becomes more efficient . Like a diesel, Space Force takes time before reaching cruising speed. But now, after ten episodes, the plot seems to be cut in its tracks and many questions are left unanswered. The unevenness of the action in some episodes will leave us hungry for more as our heroes’ adventures seem far from over. A mixed first season therefore, but which is rather encouraging for the future. We will remember the mixed reception given to The Office upon its release.
Since the series, has established itself as a reference, we wish Space Forceto experienced the same fate. We hope that Netflix will renew the series for a second round of episodes, at the risk of making some disappointments. The series is available today on Netflix.
OUR OPINION
Without reaching the firmament, Space Force is a strong entertainment and masterfully led by Steve Carell and John Malkovich. Laughter is not straightforward every moment, but the series is an effective satire of America in the Trump era. Despite the unevenness of the episodes, Space Force has the potential to become a staple comedy series.