Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix’ on Netflix, A Video Game Adaptation That Impressively Builds On The Source Material

The Far Cry video game series has had multiple installments over the years, but none so flashy as Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which stretched an ’80s-inspired skin over a new area of the expansive shooter and nestled its way into the hearts of viewers. It resonated so much that here we are, years later, with an animated series on Netflix set in the same universe. This series, loosely based on the original game, is every bit as fun as the universe we got to know back then, and maybe even a little more so as it explores the technocracy the United States has evolved into in an alternate 1992.

CAPTAIN LASERHAWK – BLOOD DRAGON REMIX: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A man in handcuffs appears on TV, asking if viewers want to be entertained, because in “in two minutes,” he will “die before your eyes.” He goes on a tirade about the world’s introduction of a “universal basic income” and the freedom of a new world called Eden. Just as he’s finished speaking, he’s apparently shot, and an advertisement from hacker group Dedsec flashes on the screen.

The Gist: The year is 1992, and the United States is now Eden, a dystopian technocracy that’s home to both humans and “Hybrids”, or manmade animals with human characteristics. Dolph Laserhawk (Nathaniel Curtis) is a supersoldier who escapes his employer Eden Tech Military and goes on the run with boyfriend Alex Taylor (Boris Hiestand).

They decide to go on one last heist together, but it doesn’t exactly go as planned. Taylor ends up betraying boyfriend Laserhawk. While Taylor gets away seemingly scot-free, Laserhawk is sent to Eden’s Supermaxx prison with no apparent way to escape.

While there, he receives an explosive device implanted in his body while being forced to work as part of a faux “Suicide Squad” for the prison along with the other “Ghosts” on dangerous covert missions.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? It’s relatively simple to tell everything that Adi Shankar has touched, and this series has his brand all over it. So if you’ve ever watched a series like Castlevania, like Shankar worked on, you’ll find plenty to like about this show. Of course, if you’re already a fan of the Far Cry series or the Blood Dragon spinoff this series is based on (as well as all the other Ubisoft franchises it references) you’ll be right at home here too.

Our Take: It likely took some serious guts to take characters like those found throughout Ubisoft’s wide variety of games and bring them into a totally different medium. Not only that, but it’s such a fun ride that you forget that these personalities came straight out of games. Too often, adaptations like these are completely scrambled or untrue to the source material. But this time, they worked fantastically together.

There’s a great combination of humor, romance, action, and super sassiness that fits so well with the Ubisoft brand overall, and seeing it all combine for this episode is truly rewarding after watching so many gaming-centric stinkers over the years. Clearly, it took the right team at the right time to make something memorable here, and the fact that you can go and play a game with most of these characters when the show is over is such a fun addition.

Sex and Skin: Nothing here, as the only thing that’s really showcased is the violent world of America-turned-Eden that Dolph must contend with.

Parting Shot: Dolph and the rest of the Ghosts discover who they’ll be working for and what their new lives entail from the Supermaxx warden. She walks through the double doors and they slam shut behind her.

Sleeper Star: David Menkin does an excellent job bringing the fan-favorite character Rayman, from the titular platforming series, to life. He vacillates between energetic host and just a wacky little guy, and it really does work. It would be great if Rayman had his own show, but alas.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Being a rebel otulaw means adapting to circumstance. You should learn to, I don’t know, embrace the chaos,” says Taylor before jumping off of a high-rise, ironically asking that Laserhawk get used to chaos as he betrays his lover. The only thing Dolph will know from here on out is, well, chaos.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is a unique take on the connected world of Ubisoft’s properties, with style, substance, and some serious LGBTQ+ representation. Even if you’ve never played the original Blood Dragon, there’s a lot to love here. If only Alex hadn’t had to betray Dolph…

Brittany Vincent (@MolotovCupcake) has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech.