Why Amazon’s Hanna should be your next box set
Review Overview
Characters
8Cast
8Pace
6David Farnor | On 28, Aug 2023
The idea of turning TV shows into film is a longstanding tradition in the entertainment world, with a mixed success rate at best. Turning films into TV shows is a more recent phenomenon, but the results remain a mixed bag – so when a series comes along that adapts a blockbuster into a box set successfully, it’s worth putting on your watchlist.
Here’s why Amazon’s Hanna sits confidently in that category:
It’s bigger
The premise of the film remains broadly in tact: we’re introduced to Hannah, a diminutive but deadly protagonist, who was raised in remote woods by her father with a thirst for vengeance about her dead mother, but is hunted down by a CIA veteran, Marissa, with her own complicated backstory. But the show manages to expand the scale to include not just that story but the wider Utrax experiments that Hannah was a part of. The result is bigger, in terms of scope and scale, but also in terms of stakes and tension – and, crucially, means that the seres can build into something that feels like its own thing, rather than a bloated retread of familiar territory.
There’s more time for character
Despite that push to expand the film’s horizons, Hanna’s longer running time means that there’s more chance to explore and deepen the characters. In the first season, that can mean a pace that doesn’t always get moving quickly enough, but it lays the groundwork for a fascinating sandbox with surprising complexity – by the time we’re in Season 2, there’s a thrilling edge to Hanna and Marissa’s interactions, even when they’re just debating what to put on a car radio. The introduction of another Utrax patient, Clara, whom Hanna attempts to mentor in the way her dad did for her, adds layers to what could have been a relatively one-note protagonist – the screenplay by David Farr, who wrote the 2011 film, keeps pushing the characters into new situations to reveal new sides to their motivations and concerns.
The cast
All this wouldn’t work at all without a cast to match the material, and Esme Creed-Miles admirably steps into the shoes once worn by Saoirse Ronan and walks in a new direction with them. She brings out Hanna’s awkwardness and vulnerability, while Mireille Enos has fun with Marissa’s multifaceted priorities. Yasmin Money Prince as Clara excellently draws out the pressures of trying to fit in, while Dermot Mulroneys brings sinister vibes to the role of Utrax chief, John Carmichael. Joel Kinnaman, meanwhile, leaves an impact as Hanna’s father.
The action
Season 1 takes a little too long to balance its character-driven focus with the kind of action that made Joe Wright’s original film so precisely stylish. By the time the show hits its stride, however, there’s a steady drumbeat of set pieces that carry real heft as well as slick thrills. The result is an intriguing and often chilling blend of sci-fi, espionage and teen drama that makes for a surprisingly compelling package.