Given the sheer number of superhero-related content out right now, it was always going to difficult for The Umbrella Academy to stand out, especially given the acclaim behind the comic it’s based on. What a surprise then that Netflix’s latest superhero flick is not just a fantastic, action-packed rollercoaster ride, it’s also one of the best superhero shows to be released in quite some time. Armed with a lovable group of characters all wrapped up in a mystery full of drama and thrills, Umbrella Academy rarely outstays its welcome, despite suffering the Netflix effect of dragging the content out a little.
After a brief prologue that sees a Russian girl inexplicably become pregnant, what follows is an introduction to this strange world. It turns out 42 other women suffered this same, strange phenomena as a number of children across the world are born under mysterious circumstances. Intent on adopting these children for purposes unknown, Sir Reginald Hargreeves travels tirelessly across the world to bring them into his care. Out of the 43, he manages to adopt 7. After a brief introduction to each child as an adult, the death of their adoptive father brings them back to the mansion they grew up. While all of them accept his death was as a result of natural causes, former leader of the group Luther is none too convinced and decides to investigate further.
The arrival of Number 5, one of the seven who can jump through time, brings with him a dire message from the future as the group look set to go their separate ways. The apocalypse is coming in 7 days and with it, the end of the world. From here, it’s up to the group to find out who or what is responsible for the end of the world and stop it from happening before it’s too late. Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple and as the group band together, 2 assassins from the future, Hazel and Cha-Cha, are tasked with finding and killing Number 5. The rest of the series weaves a cat-and-mouse game between the two sides with a time-bending storyline set across dual timelines, one from the past and one in the present before a climactic finale that leaves things wide open going forward.
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