no question, Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the biggest and most recognizable action stars in Hollywood history. He’s been the Terminator, Conan the Barbarian, he’s fought the Predator, and he’s even been governor of California. He may not appear on screen as often as he used to, but his cultural relevance has never been lost. Following in the footsteps of veteran action stars like Sylvester Stallone, Harrison FordAnd Jean-Claude Van DammeSchwarzenegger made the jump to the small screen with a Netflix original series FUBAR. Came from Nick Santorawriter and executive producer of Scorpion and Prime Video did Reacher, the action-comedy series is the perfect mix of what Schwarzenegger is best at. He can still play an action star, but is also able to bring his distinct sense of humor that he has brought to films like The Twin sisters And Kindergarten police.
Schwarzenegger stars as CIA agent Luke Brunner, who has long kept his career a secret from his family, including his high-achieving daughter, Emma (Monica Barbara). At the height of his retirement, Luke wants to finally settle down, spend more time with his family, and hopefully win back the heart of his ex-wife, Tally (Fabiana Udenio). Unfortunately, Luke has to put his retirement plans on hold when he’s recruited for one final mission involving the dangerous arms dealer Boro (Gabriel Luna) and brought the agent back to the United States. Luke is flabbergasted when he learns that the agent he assigned to return home was actually Emma – who, like her, kept her career as a CIA agent a secret from everyone she loved. Luke and Emma must reluctantly join forces on this mission that puts everyone they love at risk, but first, they need to learn how to stop fighting and just get along.
‘FUBAR’ Entertaining But Inconsistent
FUBAR begins with an exciting action set in Antwerp, Belgium, as Luke confidently makes his way through alleys, smokes a big funny cigar, and confronts a group of dangerous criminals, while his old partner Barry (Milan Carter) spoke to him through the earpiece. It’s a quick and easy way to introduce audiences to the series before diving into the drama between Luke and his family that begins to take on more and more series as time goes on. This series may be entertaining – clearly trying to do something similar to A true liebut while the film masterfully balances comedy and action, FUBAR feels so inconsistent.
The episodes that focus more on Luke, Emma and their CIA team on a dangerous mission are at their best. cartman, Feimster’s LuckAnd Travis Van Winkle all of which are effective as the show’s comedic relief. Feimster, in particular, stands out as Roo, a CIA agent who has always considered Luke a father figure. On the other hand, there are episodes that try to tackle more mature themes which, without being a spoiler, are wildly out of place and don’t add as much emotion as they should. In fact, it’s this subplot that causes the series to lose focus on some of its more interesting storylines—especially Luna’s Boro, which begins as an interesting villain with an unpredictable and near-forgettable streak midway through the series’ previous run. re-shoes at a later date.
This is not to say FUBAR is a terrible show, but it’s clearly having an identity crisis about whether it wants to be anything to go along with Jack Ryan, a workplace comedy set in the CIA, or a family drama. Some funny jokes, especially with Luke being very jealous of Tally’s seemingly likable new boyfriend, Donnie (Andy Buckley). It’s the cast that ultimately carries the series and makes it work, even when things don’t work out as they should. Schwarzenegger does what he does best and, while one could argue he is either playing alone or aiming to recapture what he did in Kindergarten police, You can’t argue that it is not effective. Schwarzenegger’s charisma is infectious, and a lot like his modern counterpart Dwayne Johnsonhe can have chemistry with anyone you put next to him.
Monica Barbaro Stands Out in ‘FUBAR’
After his role in last summer’s blockbuster Top Weapon: Maverick, Monica Barbaro continued her work with the legendary action star with her role as Emma. Even when some of the writing sometimes traps him in the most cliche and uninteresting storylines, Barbaro still manages to get through it. His back and forth with Schwarzenegger never fails to be entertaining, and he has a clear flair for the show’s espionage elements and lighter moments.
Even setting Schwarzenegger’s casting aside, FUBAR definitely an expensive series to produce. Much of the action is explosive and captures the high-octane thrills of the summer blockbusters you’ll see on the big screen. Most of the plot twists and reveals can be seen from a mile away since it’s as generic a story as you can get, but viewers likely won’t mind too much. Schwarzenegger’s name is one that will generate interest and, even in his smaller projects, his presence is always memorable.
Some episodes fared much better than others, and there were times when it seemed that this might have been more effective as a film than a series. There’s a lot of heart, and you really start to care about some of the characters, but there are other areas that are likely to be forgotten just hours after you’ve finished watching the series. FUBAR definitely play it safe and don’t really have that addictive trait Evening Agent have, but it could also be much worse. There is nothing terrible about offensive FUBAR; it just needs the story to be more focused than what ultimately happens. However, even at his weakest moments, he has heart, and Schwarzenegger and Barbaro make a great leading duo.
Rating: B-
FUBAR premieres on Netflix on May 25.