Supacell

Available on Netflix

The latest project from Rapman, the British rapper turned writer-director, attempts to tackle the superhero fatigue that has coincided with the marked decline in the quality of DC and Marvel’s cinematic output. Its ingenious premise centres on five unrelated and seemingly ordinary South Londoners who discover that they have superhuman abilities on account of their respective family’s history of sickle cell disease, an ailment which is common among people of African origin. Before long, they are teaming up à la the Avengers to thwart a shady organisation that is seeking to control them and others like them. 

Whether Supacell entirely achieves its perceived mission statement is a matter of personal taste. Personally, I enjoyed the show most when it focused on the respective arcs of its five main characters, which are all grounded in believable motivations and characterised by strong performances from a relatively obscure cast. There’s also a lot to admire about the way in which Rapman embraces his project’s geographical setting through a strong soundtrack and supporting roles for peers such as Digga D and Ghetts, the latter of whom is particularly impressive as one of the show’s chief antagonists.

However, like so many of its genre bedfellows, Supacell grows less and less interesting the more it embraces its fantastical elements. In particular, its finale is brimming with the sort of nonsensical character choices that are so synonymous with superhero properties, not to mention a whole bunch of garish CGI effects. 

Still, the strong performances of its cast - especially that of Tosin Cole - and relatively modest runtime of six one-hour episodes suggests there is mileage for at least another season, which would be a great achievement for one of the UK’s most promising storytellers.