{"id":643296,"date":"2023-04-30T10:06:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-30T15:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/30\/citadel-review-a-hollow-spy-thriller\/"},"modified":"2023-04-30T10:06:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T15:06:32","slug":"citadel-review-a-hollow-spy-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/30\/citadel-review-a-hollow-spy-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"Citadel review: a hollow spy thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"h-maincontent\" data-post-id=\"3348868\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/home-theater\/citadel-2023-tv-review\/\">\n<header id=\"dt-post-title\">\n<p><cite><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG-4987.jpg?resize=60%2C60&#038;p=1\" alt=\"Alex Welch\">\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tBy<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/users\/awelch\/\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAlex Welch\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<time datetime=\"2023-04-29T12:01:45-07:00\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tApril 29, 2023 12:01PM\t\t<\/time>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/cite><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<article id=\"dt-post-content\" itemid=\"post-content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<div>\n<p><img onerror=\"dti_load_error(this)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Richard-Madden-and-Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-look-at-each-other-on-a-train-in-Citadel.jpg?p=1\" alt=\"Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas look at each other on a train in Citadel.\" decoding=\"async\" skip_size_classes=\"1\" ignore_aspect_ratio=\"1\"  >\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<blockquote><p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cCitadel is the latest addition to the Russo Brothers&#8217; growing collection of disappointing, low-brow genre exercises.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tPros\t\t\t<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA breakneck pace\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStanley Tucci and Lesley Manville&#8217;s scene-stealing supporting performances\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tCons\t\t\t<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tClunky expositional dialogue throughout\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRichard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas&#8217; stiff lead performances\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRough visual effects throughout\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/movies\/citadel-trailer-russo-brothers\/\"><em>Citadel<\/em><\/a> desperately wants to keep you on your toes at all times, but the most surprising thing about the new Amazon Prime Video original series is just how bad it looks. Like many of the movies and TV shows that Anthony and Joe Russo have been involved in, <em>Citadel<\/em> looks simultaneously expensive and cheap. Nearly every scene in its first three episodes, which were the only installments that were provided ahead of time to critics, are covered in filters that make everything in <em>Citadel<\/em> look shockingly low-rent. Even many of the show\u2019s early action set pieces are hampered by bad CGI that makes the actors on-screen look like rubber dummies.<\/p>\n<p>The series, which was executive produced by the Russo brothers, is a big-budget spy thriller with clear franchise ambitions that, whether intentional or not, feels more deeply indebted to the kind of zero-calorie storytelling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than it does to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/movies\/james-bond-who-is-the-best-bond\/\">James Bond<\/a> or Jason Bourne franchises. That is to say that not only is <em>Citadel<\/em> a lightweight genre exercise, but it\u2019s one in which the show\u2019s characters are constantly forced to explain what\u2019s happening on-screen even when you don\u2019t need them to.<\/p>\n<p>All of these decisions are designed to make <em>Citadel<\/em> go down easy. What wasn\u2019t intended, however, is the cringe you\u2019ll likely feel every time one of the show\u2019s characters steps doe-eyed into another ham-fisted spy movie clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3348874\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3348874\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-wears-sunglasses-on-a-train-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C479&#038;p=1\" onerror=\"dti_load_error(this)\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Priyanka Chopra Jonas wears sunglasses on a train in Citadel.\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-wears-sunglasses-on-a-train-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C479&#038;p=1\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3348874\"><span>Courtesy of Prime Video<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Created by David Weil, <em>Citadel<\/em> follows Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), a pair of lovelorn, but potentially treacherous spies who work for the show\u2019s eponymous global espionage organization. When a seemingly simple job goes horribly wrong in <em>Citadel<\/em>\u2019s opening episode, Mason and Nadia not only end up on different continents, but with all of their memories of their spy lives erased from their brains. From that point on, <em>Citadel<\/em> follows Mason and Nadia as a series of unfortunate developments force the two of them to reunite and go on the run, all while trying to piece together the wreckage of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Along for the ride is Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), a smart, smarmy spy operative who somehow managed to survive the Citadel purge that left many of its agents, including Nadia and Mason, either dead or stranded without any idea of where to go or what to do next. Bernard locates Mason early on in <em>Citadel<\/em>, and it\u2019s his actions that ultimately kick the series\u2019 second act into gear. Unfortunately, Bernard\u2019s reunion with Mason puts them and Nadia directly in the path of Dahlia Archer (Lesley Manville), a villainous representative for Manticore, a spy organization that originally was built to destroy Citadel.<\/p>\n<p>As Dahlia sends her go-to enforcers, a pair of twins named Anders and Davik Silje (both played by Roland M\u00f8ller), after Mason and Nadia, the two are forced to try to bring Manticore down while also navigating their own uncertain, complicated romantic history. In its third episode, <em>Citadel<\/em> even goes so far as to press pause on its present-day storyline for a prolonged flashback sequence that fills in several key moments in Mason and Nadia\u2019s relationship. Try as it might, though, the series doesn\u2019t make a convincing enough case for Nadia and Mason\u2019s romance to let it actually ground <em>Citadel<\/em>\u2018s overstuffed espionage plot.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3348876\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3348876\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Stanley-Tucci-wears-glasses-and-an-earpiece-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C480&#038;p=1\" onerror=\"dti_load_error(this)\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stanley Tucci wears glasses and an earpiece in Citadel.\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Stanley-Tucci-wears-glasses-and-an-earpiece-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C480&#038;p=1\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3348876\"><span>Paul Abell\/Prime Video<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Part of that is due to just how weighed down <em>Citadel<\/em> is by its own lore. It\u2019s hard to become invested in Nadia and Mason\u2019s relationship when nearly everything that seems to come out of their mouths, even when they\u2019re flirting with each other, feels like a clunky kind of explanation. For their parts, Madden and Chopra Jonas don\u2019t have enough chemistry on-screen to make up for the lackluster way in which their romance is written, either. Like everything else in <em>Citadel<\/em>, Mason and Nadia\u2019s relationship feels more like a sketch of something you\u2019ve already seen before than it does a passion-filled romance.<\/p>\n<p>Only two of <em>Citadel<\/em>\u2019s players make it out of the series relatively unscathed, and that\u2019s Tucci and Manville. The two actors have long been regarded as some of the most talented and reliable screen performers alive today, so it shouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise to learn that they manage to bring delicious shades of camp to every ridiculous, jargon-filled line that <em>Citadel<\/em> throws at them. Nonetheless, Tucci and Manville are the only two actors in <em>Citadel<\/em> who seem aware of what kind of show they\u2019re actually making, which is to say that they\u2019re having the absolute time of their lives on-screen in the Amazon series. They make it easy, in fact, to occasionally get caught up in <em>Citadel<\/em>\u2019s specific brand of ridiculousness.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3348879\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3348879\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Richard-Madden-and-Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-face-each-other-in-a-restaurant-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C480&#038;p=1\" onerror=\"dti_load_error(this)\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas face each other in a restaurant in Citadel.\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Richard-Madden-and-Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-face-each-other-in-a-restaurant-in-Citadel.jpg?fit=720%2C480&#038;p=1\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3348879\"><span>Paul Abell\/Prime Video<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Citadel<\/em>, thankfully, doesn\u2019t feel the need to rest too long on any of its many overblown twists and plot beats, either. The series clips along at a breakneck pace basically from the moment it begins, which makes it considerably easier to get through each episode without feeling the weight of the time spent on it. Of course, the show\u2019s brisk pace doesn\u2019t make its trope-filled espionage story any better. It simply prevents it from feeling as laboriously self-serious as it might otherwise have.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not its flaws prevent Amazon from following through on its franchise plans for <em>Citadel<\/em> remains to be seen. Not only has the series already been renewed for a second season by the streaming service, but several international spinoffs are said to be currently in development. The Russo Brothers, in other words, seem intent on building another franchise for themselves. Unfortunately, whatever goodwill the pair had accrued with their Marvel efforts has been steadily eroded by projects like <em>Cherry<\/em>, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/movies\/the-gray-man-netflix-movie-review\/\">The Gray Man<\/a><\/em>, and now <em>Citadel<\/em>. Their names being attached to a project shouldn\u2019t be seen as an incentive anymore, but a warning.<\/p>\n<p>The first two episodes of <em>Citadel<\/em> are streaming now on Prime Video. <em>Digital Trends was given early access to the first three of the series\u2019 first six episodes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span id=\"publisher-md\" itemprop=\"publisher\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop=\"url\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop=\"logo\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.dtcn.com\/dt\/dt-logo-small.png\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"0\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"0\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Digital Trends\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop=\"image\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Richard-Madden-and-Priyanka-Chopra-Jonas-look-at-each-other-on-a-train-in-Citadel.jpg?p=1\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<section>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG-4987.jpg?resize=200%2C200&#038;p=1\" alt=\"Alex Welch\">\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Alex Welch is a TV and movies writer based out of Los Angeles. In addition to Digital Trends, his work has been published by Inverse, IGN, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, TV by the Numbers, Looper, and The Berrics. He dreams of one day being in the Criterion closet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThis Samsung 65-inch OLED 4K TV is $1,200 off right now\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/samsung-oled-tv-s95b-103.jpeg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\" alt=\"2022 Samsung OLED TV S95B front view.\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/samsung-oled-tv-s95b-103.jpeg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>We encourage you to peruse the best TV deals to see if you can find something this good, at least right now. What are we talking about? Crutchfield is offering the 65-inch Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV for $1,200 off right now, which is an incredible discount. Normally $3,000, you can grab the smart 4K OLED panel for just $1,800. That&#8217;s 40% off the regular price and puts this deal in line with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday prices we typically see during the shopping holidays.<\/p>\n<p>Why You Should Buy the 65-inch Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV<br \/>\nIf you&#8217;re wondering about the difference between QLED vs. OLED TV panels, our guide can certainly help explain. Honestly, you can&#8217;t go wrong with either, and both will provide a vibrant and beautiful picture, including this 65-inch Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV. It&#8217;s like having an immersive movie theater in your home, especially if you pair it with one of the excellent surround systems. You&#8217;ll notice that most, if not all of the best sub $500 4K TVs are either OLED or QLED.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/home-theater\/samsung-65-class-s95b-4k-smart-tv-deal-april-2023\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tB&#038;O\u2019s picnic basket speaker pumps out 280 watts of power while it charges your phone\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/BO-beosound-a5-1.jpeg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\" alt=\"Bang &#038; Olufsen Beosound A5 in natural aluminum\/light oak.\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/BO-beosound-a5-1.jpeg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>No, the iconic Danish audio company Bang &#038; Olufsen (B&#038;O) does not refer to its new Beosound A5 portable speaker as a picnic basket, but one look at the photos and the comparison becomes unavoidable. Still, picnic basket looks or not, the A5 packs an impressive array of design and technology, which given its starting price of $1,049, you&#8217;d hope would be the case. You can buy the Beosound A5 starting April 27 in stores and online at bang-olufsen.com.<\/p>\n<p>B&#038;O says the A5, which comes in two colors (natural aluminum\/light oak and black aluminum\/dark oak), is the result of a collaboration with the Danish-Italian design team, GamFratesi. It&#8217;s got an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance, and most of the parts &#8212; including the exterior grilles and the handle &#8212; can be easily replaced or swapped out. As part of B&#038;O&#8217;s Mozart family of products, even the A5&#8217;s communication module can be upgraded over time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/home-theater\/bang-and-olufsen-beosounds-a5\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThe best Netflix original series right now\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Night-Agent-TV.jpg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\" alt=\"Luciane Buchanan and Gabriel Basso in The Night Agent.\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Night-Agent-TV.jpg?resize=625%2C417&#038;p=1\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>It&#8217;s only been a few months but 2023 has already been a good year for Netflix. Returning series You and Shadow and Bone are still going strong, and new shows The Night Agent, The Diplomat, and Beef\u00a0debuted to strong numbers and even stronger critical acclaim.<\/p>\n<p>The collection of original projects available on the service is constantly changing, with new shows coming to Netflix throughout each month. In order to help you choose what to watch next, we&#8217;ve carefully scanned through the entire library to provide this list of the best original series on Netflix.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/movies\/best-netflix-originals\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead more\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/home-theater\/citadel-2023-tv-review\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Alex Welch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Alex Welch April 29, 2023 12:01PM \u201cCitadel is the latest addition to the Russo Brothers&#8217; growing collection of disappointing, low-brow genre exercises.\u201d Pros A breakneck pace Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville&#8217;s scene-stealing supporting performances Cons Clunky expositional dialogue throughout Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas&#8217; stiff lead performances Rough visual effects throughout Citadel desperately<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":643297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32781,661,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-643296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-citadel","8":"category-review","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}