Critical Role First Reviews for The Legend of Vox Machina Are Out

[Hexmage-EN]

Gizmodo

Where the first two episodes are standard fantasy fare involving a simple monster hunting quest, the Briarwood tale is a revenge story centered on stoic gunslinger Percy (Taliesin Jaffe). Jaffe’s performance comes to be a highlight of the series, whether he’s doling out dry sarcasm, exasperation at his friend’s antics, or just plain pissed off at everything. He gives his character a lot of presence, and with that connection to the larger world, he gets two of the show’s best moments. And it helps that the Briarwoods themselves—voiced at maximum villain level by Grey Griffin and Mercer himself—serve as a good juxtaposition to Vox Machina. The couple are so refined and subtle in everything they do, that the moments where they get their hands dirty are all the more impressive; they make it clear that Vox will have to get their naughty word together if they want to help their friend achieve his goals.

IGN

Bailey’s elegantly voiced Vex’ahlia and O’Brien’s suave Vax’ildan somehow exude an even stronger bond in this new format, while the heartwarming friendship between Willingham’s brute Grog and Johnson’s sweet Pike comes alive in a way that feels genuinely earned. Ray’s quirky and awkward Keyleth, by far the most relatable of the crew, brings a poignant and earnest grounding to the druid, and Riegel’s boastful and cocky Scanlan shines brightly as a standout — as do his songs. Jaffe, meanwhile, imbues Percy with a distinct sense of curiosity and intrigue that entices us to peel back the layers of his past, even if we already know it. (And of course, we can’t leave out Vex’s armored bear Trinket: the true MVP of the group.)

Inverse

Exceeding past its novelty as an adaptation of a Dungeons & Dragons livestream show, The Legend of Vox Machina for Prime Video spices up the booming fantasy genre with stunning artistry and real heart and humor. Its first bits of dialogue are a panicked, uncensored “What the f*ck?” and minutes later, a gnome with chest hair goes down on a naked elf.

Such humor rarely negates the exciting dark fantasy action that lies ahead. Nor does it disserve its meaningful themes of found families, revenge, and the self-serving exploitation wrought by the elite upper class. But its unique mischief christens Vox Machina to be more bold and riotous than anything else streaming today.

NPR

What we get in The Legend of Vox Machina is what's left over, after all of that chaos energy has been distilled into pure story. Distilled, and greatly condensed: Storylines that stretched over hours and hours on the web series play out, here, over the course of one or two half-hour episodes.

In the five episodes made available to press, the sprawling world Mercer's built doesn't get a chance to convey even a hint of its depth, but I suppose it would seem odd if it did, given the narrow remit of the animated series. Here, the team of familiar characters fight many of the same foes they did in the Critical Role campaign, and harbor many of the same secrets.

Polygon

Within the span of a dozen minutes, we get to see our main cast get drunk, puke everywhere, chop off a few limbs, and a gnome seduces an innkeeper’s daughter — bare breasts on display and all. The first two episodes stumble with this repeatedly; the characters aren’t your traditional fantasy cast, the show assures us. They say “naughty word,” argue amongst themselves, and prefer gold to glory.

Sure enough, the opening episodes spread shock value on thick. It’s rough, especially because once they finally veer off that course, the show suddenly gets really good.

The gist I've gotten is that the first two episodes suffer a bit from trying to emphasize that it's not a kid's show, but once the Briarwood arc gets started in episode three it's excellent.

 

[Mort]

The AVClub review is very positive:

Critical Role gets animated in an entertaining Prime Video adaptation

The hit D&D web series is magically streamlined into the Kickstarter-record-setting The Legend Of Vox Machina

www.avclub.com

 

[JEB]

The gist I've gotten is that the first two episodes suffer a bit from trying to emphasize that it's not a kid's show, but once the Briarwood arc gets started in episode three it's excellent.

Hopefully the non-Critters that enjoy the shock value in the first two episodes outweigh the non-Critters who are turned off by it.

 

[Divine2021]

Sounds far superior to the livestream.

 

[Seramus]

Sounds far superior to the livestream.

Trinket will be useful!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Hopefully the non-Critters that enjoy the shock value in the first two episodes outweigh the non-Critters who are turned off by it.

I'd be surprised if that's the case, because the "try-hard"/"cringe"-level is pretty damn high with the first episode particularly. But you never know! Certainly if there wasn't such a mismatch with what I'd heard about Critical Role and what I saw in the first episode, I might have just stopped watching myself. As it was I decided to give it one more episode to at least tone it down a bit - and it does - but it's not a great way to open.

 

[Kronius]

Episode 3 was okay but Scanlan turned me off.

 

[Kronius]

double post sorry

 

[darjr]

Is this good on rotten tomatoes?

 

[Hussar]

I'll admit, I've never listened to the show, have really no idea about the setting or any knowledge of the character going in.

LOVED it. First couple of episodes are hilarious. Scanlan the bard is just exactly what D&D bard should be. Totally over the top, scene cheeringly gorgeous.

So, my answer to "will non-Critters be turned off?" Well, I certainly wasn't. Watched the first three episodes back to back and I want to keep watching.

It's a real shame that dragons in the game are nowhere near this terrifying.