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Gen V is a spin-off from Prime Video’s The Boys, a series I haven’t seen, but hey, superhero movies and shows – how different can they be compared to the equivalent I’ve seen before many times?
After a TV announcement which shows A-Train (Jessie T Usher) being welcomed to ‘the seven’, which I figured (and was right) are the main characters from the aforementioned show – even though the Fandom page confirms that, like Fleetwood Mac, the line-up has changed over time, we then start to learn about the main characters in this series, first showing Marie Moreau, aged 8, feeling a bit crook, before events show that she’s rather learning about her superpower involving controlling blood. Hey, maybe she can show me what to do with my warfarin levels?
But some years on, and now played by Jaz Sinclair, she’s learned a few things and can throw blood around like Spider-man does with his webs, albeit creating a similar ruckus. Plus, as the first black woman in The Seven, now she’s at Godolkin University – so, like X-Men, but with a university building rather than Patrick Stewart’s house – she has a room-mate who can make herself tiny, in the form of Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway).
Can they still be called The Boys if it now features women? My head hurts.
Meanwhile, Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger) can turn into fire while having a punch-up, so when he takes effect, all his clothes burn off – oo-er, missus!
In fact, there’s a lot of crude sexual talk between the students, and since they spend a lot of time thinking about doing the do, it feels more like an episode of Hollyoaks, at times – the 18-cert also being present because Gen V gets very CGI-style gory on a regular basis. That said, for all their talk of bedtime shenanigans, never do women show their breasts, yet men do. As Emma can make herself tiny, this allows her to clamber onto a young lad’s… hey, this is family-friendly review!
Of the other main students, Jordan Li keeps changing from female (London Thor) to male (Derek Luh) and back again. PLease stay female: London Thor is uber-hot!
Of course, Clancy Brown‘s superpower is that he’s Clancy bloody Brown! I mean, he’s invincible… oh wait, that was Highlander. What’s his power, here? Ah, he just runs the joint. Fine.
There’s no subtitles on this preview, and a bit of muffled dialogue, so if I watch more of this, I’ll watch when broadcast, as it’ll have subtitles. They do have some great music, though, the opener closing with Hole’s Celebrity Skin, which also includes a preview of what’s to come during the season, so if you don’t want to know, then as soon as Courtney Love opens her gob, switch off.
Thanks to our friends at Prime Video for the screener prior to broadcast.
Gen V is on Prime Video from Friday September 29th. Three episodes are available on day one, with the rest added weekly.
NOTE:
Trailer posted September 24th 01:00
Updated with spoiler-free review of episode 1: September 284th 20:00.
Cert: 
Running time: 45-60 minutes per episode (8 episodes)
Release date: September 29th 2023
Studio: Prime Video
Format: 2.00:1
Series Directors: Nelson Cragg, Steve Boyum, Rachel Goldberg, Philip Sgriccia
Producers: Jessica Chou, Lex Edness
Based on The Boys, by: Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson
Developed by: Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, Craig Rosenberg
Screenplay: Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, Craig Rosenberg, Chelsea Grate, Lauren Greer, Wei-Ning Yu, Jessica Chou, Brant Englestein, Erica Rosbe, Zak Schwartz
Music: Matt Bowen, Christopher Lennertz
Cast:
Marie Moreau: Jaz Sinclair
Emma Meyer: Lizze Broadway
Justine: Maia Jae
Andre Anderson: Chance Perdomo
Cate Dunlap: Maddie Phillips
Jordan Li: London Thor, Derek Luh
Sam: Asa Germann
Indira Shetty: Shelley Conn
Prof. Rich Brinkerhoff: Clancy Brown
Golden Boy: Patrick Schwarzenegger
Polarity: Sean Patrick Thomas
Rufus: Alexander Calvert
Social Media Jeff: Dan Beirne
Tyler: Siddharth Sharma
Ashley Barrett: Colby Minifie
Adam Bourke: PJ Byrne
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.