Kaos review: Jeff Goldblum provides glorious chaos in Netflix's irreverent tale

The Netflix series, which has been in the work for years from writer Charlie Covell, follows Zeus, played by Jeff Goldblum, as an arrogant, heartless and selfish version of the king of Olympus.

Haunted by a prophecy that he believes heralds his destruction, Zeus will stop at nothing to prevent it from coming true.

While his family believe him to be paranoid, he's right to be afraid. His former friend, Prometheus (who's now Zeus's prisoner, gruesomely having his guts being plucked out by hawks as he's left chained to a cliff), is orchestrating his downfall, with the help of some unsuspecting humans who have huge roles to play if they want to save humanity.

Immediately, the tone of the series strikes a chord. It's irreverent, witty, shocking and hard to compare to series that have come before, and is a captivating watch as Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) attempts to do the impossible and take down the king of the gods.

It's a sprawling series, beautifully balancing plotlines across Earth, Olympus and the (slightly underwhelming) Underworld.

There's a glorious contrast in scale, with Goldblum, Janet McTeer and co giving us family drama and world-ending events within moments of each other. One minute, they're bickering about their various affairs and sexual escapades, the next, the fate of the humanity.

As part of this, the series gets unexpectedly brutal and horrifying in some real gut-punch moments, yet it still manages to keep that darkly funny tone throughout.

There are some flaws that can't be ignored. Prometheus's narration is a little heavy-handed at times, and some of the twists and turns make it a little easy to see what's coming next.

Elsewhere, the depiction of the Underworld as a black-and-white, rather corporate situation is just a bit unimaginative, and doesn't quite use David Thewlis's Hades and Rakie Ayola's Persephone to the extent it could have.

But, on the whole, these flaws aren't difficult to overlook - in part thanks to the calibre of the cast, whose performances, incredibly, bring something new to the Greek gods who have been played time and time again.

Goldblum is the perfect Zeus, and it's difficult to imagine anyone else in the role (despite him actually being second in line). Zeus is violent, murderous, uncaring and cold, and would be utterly despicable to watch if it weren't for the Goldblum factor.

Encompassing all of Zeus's horrific personality traits, Goldblum somehow makes him witty and captivating - if slightly manic - so that we're genuinely in fear of his downfall.

McTeer, meanwhile, is a force to be reckoned with as Zeus's wife Hera, the only person who could possibly match him in unpleasantness.

Rather than partners in crime, the pair are at odds for much of the series, while still having an unsettling love for each other. Hera is calculating, manipulative and dishonest - but you'll still, somehow, end up rooting for her as she faces up to her husband.

However, the standouts aren't the huge names, but rather the newer talents, who go toe-to-toe with acting legends and completely steal the show.

Misia Butler, who plays the kind-hearted Canaeus, is surely destined for big things after his impressive performance and gorgeous chemistry with Aurora Perrineau as Riddy.

Elsewhere, Nabhaan Rizwan is absolutely mesmerising as Dionysis, Zeus's misguided and aptly chaotic son.

Even the smaller parts have been snapped up by acting royalty, with the likes of Billie Piper, Cliff Curtis and Suzy Eddie Izzard seamlessly stepping into roles that enrich the human world and Olympus alike.

Pulling audiences headfirst through its unsettling, funny and gripping narrative, and blasting us with a soundtrack fit for the gods, Kaos holds up throughout its eight episodes, culminating in an epic and, once again, surprisingly dark final instalment.

It doesn't quite take us to the end of the story, with the writers clearly kicking the door not just ajar but wide open for a potential season 2 - risky business when it comes to Netflix's track record with cancelling fantasy shows. But, fingers crossed, we'll get to see more from the world of Kaos.

The stage has been set - will Kaos reign?

Kaos premieres on Netflix on 29th August 2024. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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