Preacher doesn't pull any punches. Pray, or else!

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Preacher doesn't pull any punches. Pray, or else!

June 30, 2016 - 01:30
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Inspired by the American comic book series of the same name, Amazon Prime’s new twisted comedy horror series, Preacher, boasts the best adaptation seen so far.

Preacher

Inspired by the American comic book series of the same name, Amazon Prime’s new twisted comedy horror series, Preacher, boasts the best adaptation seen so far. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, who wrote and illustrated the original comic books, must be so proud to finally see their creation given the full attention to detail it deserves.

Yes, I know we’ve all been there and done that with demons, vampires and their respective hunters, but Preacher is packed full of irreverent fun, which draws mainly on the really solid dark humour seated firmly at its core.

Dominic Cooper plays Jesse Custer, who has taken over as Preacher at the local church his father served in before him. However, he’s less than sold on the idea that God is looking down on his flock and guiding them on the path of righteousness. Basically, he just doesn’t believe anymore and doesn’t mind who knows it.

That is, until he suddenly acquires the ability to will any person he chooses to do exactly as he tells them, after being inhabited by an unknown entity from the sky above. This, as you can imagine, is a pretty cool thing to find out about yourself and it’s not long before Jesse starts putting it to good use. It’s not all plain sailing, though, as his first words of wisdom have a very shocking effect on their recipient. Your heart will really go out to them. You’ll see.

Jesse is convinced this new found ability is a gift from Heaven to restore his faith in God, but the English speaking Fiore and DeBlanc, played by Tom Brooke and Anatol Yusef, who are pursuing the entity, seem to be the only ones who really know what’s going on. These guys are ridiculous in their repeated efforts to recover said entity, with very funny results, but I don’t want to spoil the intrigue surrounding these two for new viewers, so I’ll just leave it here for now.

Meanwhile, the sinister Cassidy, played by Joe Gilgun, adds even more punch to the story with his gruesome way of dealing with people and life in general. He’s certainly not shy of reducing anyone who crosses him to a bloody mess of tangled innards, but it’s done with such hilarity at times, you forget to wince at his wrongdoings and, instead, find yourself smiling at the matter of fact way he justifies them…especially as it’s all delivered with a full to bursting crock of Irish charm and banter.

To begin with, Cassidy is sure Fiore and DeBlanc are looking for him, as he has a pretty dark secret himself, so makes it his business to thwart them at every turn, soon realizing they’re only interested in recapturing the source of Preacher Jesse’s not so God given gift…or is it? Cassidy’s attempts to own up about his past life, and also warn Jesse about the ruthless double-act, are futile. Jesse disregards his stories as the bizarre ramblings of a troubled stranger who simply turned up in need of a friend and a place to stay and, to be fair to him, that’s exactly how they sound.

Just as a warning, you may find yourself mentally swamped by the end of episode one, with scenes that have no apparent connection with each other, or indeed the story itself, but hang in there because this changes very quickly as the series progresses. Having already been introduced to most of the main characters, each one arrives to take their place in the Preacher’s life and you are all set to enjoy what is actually a pretty decent black comedy.

However, there is still a certain level of horror related wit required to fully appreciate this series. This is mostly due to the inevitable moments of gore and a couple of quite unsavoury characters who really aren’t funny at all, but most definitely have it coming to them at the hands of the rough and ready Preacher.

If I had to pick a favourite character at this point, it would have to be Cassidy, but Fiore and DeBlanc are right behind with their weird and wonderful eccentricities. Jesse is played to perfection and makes for a very welcome slice of eye candy with his rugged looks…and his American accent is absolutely flawless considering he’s a Brit, but Cassidy is the comedy horror hero for me.

Again, I am so impressed with how this series has turned out. The obvious talent that goes into some of the more successful comic books offers an already tried and tested formula to work with. It’s no wonder so many great adaptations are popping up lately. Not all comics are for children. Preacher most certainly isn’t!

If Outcast seems too intense, or Wayward Pines too insane to even contemplate, Preacher could well be for you. Yes, there will be horror and, yes, there will be gore, but it’s happy horror and jolly good gore. Trust me.

Preacher: Amazon Prime - New episodes every Monday