Name: The Gryphon
Director: Sebastian Marka, Max Zähle
Released: 2023-05-26T21:40:35

The Gryphon (Der Greif) revolves around Mark, a teenager who must bear the burden of his family’s legacy and fight a creature from another world to save his loved ones. The series is now streaming on Prime Video.

Story

When Mark turns 16, his older brother, Thomas, asks him to sign a book called the Chronicle and read it. The Chronicle has been passed down in their family for generations and contains information about the Black Tower, a parallel world.

Mark’s father lost his life trying to destroy his research on the Black Tower, and Thomas was sent to a psychiatric facility because he believed in the existence of the Black Tower as well as a creature called the Gryphon that rules it.

Mark does not believe his brother, but when he reads the Chronicle, he is teleported to the Black Tower. It is then revealed that Mark is the “Traveler between Worlds”, which means he can teleport himself to a place by focusing on it.

When Thomas goes to the Black Tower to kill the Gryphon and gets captured, Mark has no choice but to go back to that world to rescue his brother. Will Mark be able to convince others to help him, or will he have to face the Gryphon on his own?

Performances

Jeremias Meyer’s performance is passable. As the protagonist, he lacks charm, but he manages to depict the anger and confusion of a teenager. Similarly, Lea Drinda’s performance is also adequate but nothing extraordinary.

Fortunately, Zoran Pingel as Memo is lively and playful. He brings much-needed light-hearted energy to the dark atmosphere of the show. Apart from a few minor characters like Petra and Maya, the performances of the majority of the cast were average.

Positives

In the beginning, the show does have the thrill and the excitement that the audience would expect from a show in which teenagers have to face dangerous creatures. There are moments when it will keep them on the edge of their seats.

Additionally, the plot of the show is certainly intriguing. There are a few twists and turns as well as characters that will surprise the audience in the best way.

Negatives

Although the plot is interesting, the same cannot be said about the execution. The makeup, the costumes, the props, as well as the CGI are laughable, which makes it hard to fear the creatures in the show or even take them seriously.

Mark’s love for Becky is important in the development of his powers, but their relationship is not given enough time. It is so rushed that there is no depth to their relationship.

Furthermore, the show leaves a few questions unanswered. Things happen, like a statue comes to defend the brothers from another statue, but the audience is never told how.

Verdict

Fantasy shows introduce the audience to new worlds and species, so it is imperative to get the details right to get them to believe in the story and get invested in it. Unfortunately, The Gryphon, with its clownish villains and unanswered questions, fails to do that.