‘Cursed’ isn’t great, but it’s a fun show for our current times

Netflix fantasy series has a confusing plot, but its young star captivates as the “Fey” Nimue.

A friend recently asked me a question after I praised a new streaming movie: “Is it actually good, or is it just quarantine good?“

It’s a worthwhile question, as the world changes and crumbles around us and the national mood becomes ever glummer, to wonder whether our standards have lowered for entertainment and distraction. After all, starved for even a sliver of fun, anything shiny, new and with a recognizable actor could satiate us.

So upon watching Netflix’s “Cursed,” a gender-flipped teenage take on the Arthurian legend, I was left wondering: Am I enjoying this sword and sorcery tale, or do I just miss leaving my apartment?

“Cursed” (now streaming, ★★1⁄2 out of four) falls squarely into the mediocreto-average zone of many Netflix series these days, particularly its teen programming. For every stellar, unique series like Mindy Kaling’s “Never Have I Ever,” there’s a “Walking Dead” knockoff (but with cursing), like “Daybreak.” “Cursed” certainly has the aura of “Game of Thrones,” but for teens. (Netflix also has a variation on “Thrones” for slightly younger kids, “The Letter for the King.”)

Despite its confusing plot, overly complicated mythology and sometimes cheesy effects, there’s a watchability to “Cursed,” in part due to its young star Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why,” “Knives Out”). For those who love a rainy sword fight with wolves, scheming nuns, chosen one stories and elaborate costumes and sets, “Cursed” provides all the style of good fantasy programming if not quite the substance.

Langford stars as Nimue (pronounced Nim-way), a young “Fey” sorceress so powerful that even her magical neighbors are afraid of her. After a fanatical militant order of priests attacks her village and kills her mother, Nimue sets out to return a mystical sword to Merlin the Magician (Gustaf Skarsgård) and save her people from genocide. She teams up with a young wannabe knight named Arthur (Devon Terrell), with whom she shares adventures and lingering romantic looks.

“Cursed” takes far too long to really explain its premise, including what dangers Nimue and her allies face at any given moment. It’s not until the third episode or so that the stakes and plot start to come into focus, although casual viewers may still be wondering when someone is going to explain all the fairy lore in laymen’s terms even further into the 10-episode season.

Langford is as appealing here as she was in “13 Reasons,” and freed from the morbidity of that terrible series, it’s clear that she was meant to lead shows, not occupy their margins as a supporting character and avenging ghost. Terrell has his own charm, but the pair have very little chemistry, which puts a damper on the romance plot. Despite its YA aspirations, it’s the drunken, misanthropic version of Merlin who has the most surprising and interesting plot, although that too requires a bit more exposition than is provided.

It’s Langford’s charm and the aesthetics that sustain “Cursed” when the story feels too slow or the lingo too obtuse. There are just enough bloody battles, forbidden romances, cackling priests and sarcastic fairies to make “Cursed” good enough for long air-conditioned days inside.

After quarantine? Ask me again.