A scene from 'Black Knight'

Two new drops on Netflix this May 12 are both in the action genre, but one skirt with a sci-fi.

Black Knight (Netflix - South Korea) - This is a six-episode Limited Series that could best be described as a cross between Mad Max: Fury Road and Snowpiercer. It’s set in a dystopian near-future, and in terms of world-building, forecasts a Korean Peninsula that’s been turned into a desert wasteland, wracked by severe air pollution. Like Squid Game and the aforementioned Snowpiercer, there are distinct class divisions, with the rich ‘have’s’ able to secure the precious commodity of oxygen; while the general public ‘have nots’ forced to scavenge and rely on these ‘black knights’ transport drivers to bring the oxygen to them. The knights navigate the wastelands using unconventional means to secure and deliver their cargo.

The series stars Kim Woo-Bin (The Heirs) as the cryptically monikered 5-8, Kang Yoo-Seok as young sidekick April, and female lead Esom as Seol-Ah. Jin Kyung portrays the female President of this devastated future Korea. The series is based on a webtoon, so the cartoonish elements that form part of the storytelling actually work. There’s hand-to-hand combat, motorized mayhem, and as the series progresses, an ambitious subplot of revolution and uprising. The competition aspect is well played out, and there’s a lot of humor and comic relief amidst the desperation and high stakes that are part of the overall scenario. You’ll love how in the midst of the dire air quality of this future world, there’s a scene when 5-8 takes out a cigarette and proceeds to smoke.

The Mother (Netflix - USA) - After the succession of cute, rom-com-type outings that Jennifer Lopez has been involved of late, one might be thankful that her latest project is an action film that has her playing an ex-special forces agent that has a 12-year old daughter that she has to rescue, time and time again. While Lucy Paez plays Zoe, the daughter in an engaging manner, one might be made hopeful by the fact that the likes of Gael Garcia Bernal as Hector Alvarez, and Joseph Fiennes as Adrian Lovell form the main support cast of this JLo outing. No surprise to learn that Hector and Adrian are the baddies here, and that one of them could be the father of Zoe. Jennifer’s character admits to having been involved with the two while completing her clandestine assignment.

But unfortunately, all thanks and hope are dashed against the stone-rock beach of formula and predictability. A few minutes before anything happens in this film, the screenplay has telegraphed to us what’s about to happen, and we’re left hoping that all this either begins to surprise us or just comes to an end. No prize for guessing which side of the fence you’ll end up sitting on. If ever there was a case for thinking that ChatGPT could be behind the writing of some film we’ve watched, I would seriously submit this film for strong consideration. And I’m well aware that just like Red Notice or Gray Man, there will be those out there who will enjoy this film immensely, and I would then say that it’s proof that the Netflix algorithm can and does work. But if you input prompts of revenge, maternal instincts and big Hollywood star doing something out of her box, you would have ended up with this film.