Comedy
The Promised Land
‘The Promised Land’ takes Scripture and turns it into a mockumentary comedy. And while the humor has a purpose, not every viewer will laugh.
Alien-superhero Marvelous Man first appeared on earth in 1947, stopping World War III and giving humanity their first glimpse of peace in a very long time. Now, 40 years later, Marvelous Man is weary. When he closes his eyes the only thing he sees is war. And when he tries to steady his mind, screams and terrors haunt his thoughts.
So he commits suicide on national televison. A truly depressing moment for the entire world who has leaned on Marvelous Man for protection. And since his death, the world has begun to spiral out of control. War, riots, death and bloodshed are seeping into every crack of the planet like an uncontrollable disease.
Who can help?
The last hope for humanity are the Guardians of Justice, Marvelous Man’s band of superhero do-gooders. There’s his second in command, Knight Hawk, who is prone to angry outbursts; The Speed, an optimist who is known for her Flash-like rapidity; King Tsunami, the overlord of the oceans; Golden Goddess, the princess of the god realm; Awesome Man, the holder of one secret word which can give him the power of seven gods; Blue Scream, whose sonic attack is immensely powerful; and Black Bow, an expert marksman and reality star.
Together, this band of imperfect heroes must push past their differences to save the world as nations point fingers at one another over Marveous Man’s apparent “suicide” and threaten a nuclear holocaust.
It’s bleak. But it gets even bleaker when militant leader Addison Walker tells Knight Hawk that Marvelous Man didn’t kill himself: He was murdered. And the only suspects in his death are the Guardians themselves.
Let’s dive right into this series and start with the facts, because this show gets complicated and muddled pretty fast.
Guardians of Justice is a new superhero series created by Adi Shankar from Bootleg Universe Productions. Rated TV-MA, this show combines a video game-like feel with live-action and other forms of animation all jumbled together in each 20 minute episode. For those who are genuinely interested in cinematography and animation, the show might be artistically interesting. It’s rare for a show to combine so many different styles while still somehow telling a cohesive-ish story.
Plus, if you’re into superheroes, specifically the world of DC, then look no further. Each member of the Guardians of Justice clearly mimics a DC character such as Superman, Batman and The Flash. It’s like DC meets Amazon’s The Boys. Toss in an ‘80s vibe, overt political commentary and pervasive darkness, and you’ve got it.
And it’s precisely that darkness that takes this show into its MA-rating. Harsh language is scattered throughout the show, sexual content is present and heavy violence is both narrated and displayed across the screen in nearly every scene.
Marvelous Man commits suicide on national television, leaving the world in shock. The Guardians of Justice band together to try and figure out who killed him and how they will keep the world stable.
We don’t see Marvelous Man’s apparent suicide, but we do hear the bullet and see his dead body slumped over, as green blood coats the wall behind him. Countless dead bodies litter the ground, all maimed and disfigured. (Blood soaks the ground, one man’s eye is missing and another is pinned to the wall with a knife through his skull).
War breaks out across the planet. Cyborg dinosaurs wreak havoc amongst villages, robots and soldiers kill their enemies and destroy buildings with explosives.
Men and women consume alcohol at a bar. A woman smokes a cigar. A couple kisses and a woman wears a cleavage-baring top. A married man mourns his long-gone single life and crudely discusses female anatomy.
The f-word is used eight times, the s-word is used twice and “a–hole is also heard twice.”
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
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