There is a lot of CGI, featuring human depictions that try and most often fail to traverse the uncanny valley. As a result, some of the less “realistic” looking films stand out more. The opener, “Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle” is a perfect example of the CGI look that will quickly grow repetitive. However, the story written by Brooke Bolander certainly delivers on its promise of dragons. It is also one of the more successful at character establishment. However, the cliffhanger-style ending feels like a bit of a cheat (which too, will be a recurring response throughout Secret Level).
The next two constituent films are also two of the best. “Sifu: It Takes a Life,” directed by Laszlo Ruska with a story credited to Rich Larson is a mystical martial arts beatdown, in which our hero takes on a brutal gang to avenge his grandfather, even if it kills him, repeatedly, just so long as he still has one of his lives signified by a string of gold coins left after the carnage.
“New World: The Once and Future King,” written by JT Petty & Philip (The Spine of Night) Gelatt, is by far the funniest, thanks to voiceover work of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who gamely satirizes his own action image while providing the voice of the hapless King Aelstrom. The entitled idiot intended to conquer the kingdom of Aeternum, but since the land there bestows eternal life, it creates a meritocracy among residents, leaving him ill-equipped maintain the status he expects by birthright.
“Unreal Tournament: Xan” looks very much like many other Secret Level mini-sodes. The hook here is that it openly invites viewers to root for the “rise of the machines” and against humanity when the evil Gamemaster (voiced by Elodie Yung) condemns a group of rebellious androids to a series of gladiatorial games against humans. Doesn’t that just sound like a really bad idea?
The lowest point probably comes in “Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear,” in which a group of space-faring marines are dispatched on a mission that is almost impossible to follow, because the animation is so confusing.
If you are expecting anything like the old Saturday morning cartoon from Victor (Nocturna) Maldonado & Alfredo Torres’ “PAC-MAN: Circle,” you will be shocked. In this case, it an extremely dark allegorical take on the classic arcade game. The ambition here is impressive, but your nostalgia will be dashed to smithereens, so temper your expectations.
Damian (Another Day of Life) Nenow’s “Crossfire: Good Conflict” is a refreshing change of pace, partly because it is the only short that does not incorporate any science fiction or fantastical elements. It also tells a fully self-contained and satisfying story, while maintaining a high degree of ambiguity regarding the why’s of everything. There is also a whole heck of a lot of shooting.
“Armored Core: Asset Management,” based on a Peter Watts story, also feels very similar to the “Unreal Tournament” and “Warhammer 40,000” episodes, but it is easier to follow and features stronger characters. It has the benefit of Keanu Reeves as a broken down mecha pilot who still thinks he has the right stuff. The mecha-action is very video game-like, but that hardly counts as a criticism for a series like this. Wisely, the animators also deliberately modeled the pilots features on Reeve’s, which should please his fans.
“Exodus: Odyssey” addresses the ironies of relativity and faster-than-light travel in ways reminiscent of Interstellar and Hubbard’s pre-insanity novel To The Stars. As a result, this is probably the smartest of the initial pack and it certainly has the greatest sweep.
“Spelunky: Tally” also directly addresses the multiple life phenomenon of video games, but the mere seven-minute story (by Tamsyn Muir) feels similarly thin. It lands more like an inspirational gag than a journey to a fantastical world.
“Concord: Tale of the Implacable” certainly appears inspired by Han Solo’s smuggling exploits, but the characters grow tiresome. “Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things,” adapted from a short story by S.L. Huang, tackles an intriguing premise, when a young orphan challenges the all-seeing, all-prescient mystical AI governing his failing city. However, the themes of predestination and free will are ultimately glossed over, which is disappointing.
Even by anthology standards, the quality and originality of Secret Level varies greatly from episode to episode. This is definitely a series for cherry-picking rather than bingeing. Start with the “Sifu,” “New World,” “Crossfire,” and “Exodus” installments. If those work for you, then consider “Mega Man,” “Armored Core,” and maybe “PAC-MAN,” but definitely pass on “Warhammer 40,000” and “Outer Worlds.” Earning a decidedly mixed review, Secret Level starts streaming tomorrow (12/10) on Prime Video.
