AMERICAN GoDS
Amazon’s sumptuous fantasy makes DVD debut
“I don’t care if they don’t have a fucking clue. I want one. Give me a fucking clue!” There’s a scene in episode 2 of this arch adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 200,000-word fantasy novel where the penny – or should that be gold coin? – drops. enigmatic ex-con Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) confronts the wolfish Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane) in a motel car park. McShane, smile in his eyes, still intimidating in a white towelling dressing gown, is absolutely loving this. Shadow Moon wants a clue, and so do we. What’s the plan? Who are “they”. And what the actual fuck is happening?
After its record-breaking run on Amazon Prime, Gaiman’s series arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download, presenting the opportunity to chew over these questions at leisure. At the headline level, the story is a meditation on American mythmaking, as ancient deities from immigrant cultures move through a world defined by technology. In the words of Game Of
Thrones, which this adaptation references, and maybe mocks a little, it’s a fantastical fight between “the old gods and the new”. One of episode 1’s central set pieces, which feels like a pastiche of the HBO saga – is one of the most pornographically violent pieces of television you will ever witness. That the same episode contains the Twitter-breaking moment where Bilquis, the famed Queen Of Sheba, swallows a man with her vagina seems like showing off. As it progresses, American Gods will break further from its source material. In a case of “anything George RR Martin can do”, subsequent seasons of American Gods will reportedly have new, non-novel content from Gaiman. Creators/developers Bryan (Hannibal) Fuller and Michael
(Heroes) Green are the drivers behind this insanely ambitious, visually sumptuous TV. each scene feels gravid with meaning, a cross-reference, a half-clue – from the logo on Shadow Moon’s T-shirt, to a widescreen tracking shot through the constellations. The cast is powerful: McShane excels, naturally, and if you only know the pectorally perfect Whittle from Hollyoaks or Strictly…, you’ll be impressed. Add to that Crispin Glover (Mr World), Gillian Anderson (Media, making her bow as a high-def Lucille Ball on multiple TV screens), Peter Stormare, Orlando Jones (Anansi) and the brilliantly weird Bruce Langley as Technical Boy. The music is crafted to your taste, too: it’s scored by Brian Reitzell, and supplemented by The Band, Creedence, Dylan and more Bowie references than are probably necessary. Shows this self-consciously epic often take time to get going.
American Gods has many directions of travel. If nothing else, it’s a vivid experience. Just watch it on the biggest screen you have.
Extras: 8/10. Ten bonus shorts, including cast and crew interviews and documentary analysis. Mark Bentley