The Chosen One 2023 / A stifling comic adaptation that couldn't get the beauty of Mexico to liven up the originally American-set story

Based on Mark Miller and Peter Gross’ graphic novel American Jesus, The Chosen One opens with a tedious build-up and a predictable plot. The possibilities are endless when you have a superpowered Christ-like boy as a protagonist, but in four of the six episodes watched, the pacing only manages to come up with a myriad of miracles, a teenage love triangle, and strange voices in the wind. Even more potential is lost as side stories begin and never end, giving side characters backstories that only resurface to contextualize Jodie’s story. The worst of these is when one of Jodie’s spiritual possessions overshadows Tuka (the only native in his friend group), who is protesting the mistreatment of the Yaqui tribe. And although the Mexican setting and the secrets behind Jodie’s powers were initially exciting, the show ends up feeling as narrow as its 4:3 ratio.