Cross Review: Fine But Not Memorable

In Prime Video’s newest crime-thriller series, detective, forensic psychologist and family man Alex Cross faces off against a sadistic serial killer who has been strewing bodies all over the city. As Cross desperately tries to get into the mind of this crazed killer and put a stop to this carnage, certain events from his past rear their ugly heads and threaten to destroy his personal and professional life in the worst way possible.

The series has 8 episodes and is based on the novel series Alex Cross by James Patterson.

Cross Review

Still grieving the sudden death of his beloved wife a year ago, Alex Cross is an emotional mess. However, he keeps it together for his children and tries to put his 100% into his work, trying to get inside the minds of criminals using forensic psychology to bring their crimes to justice. Unfortunately, the series, that you really do desperately want to be addicted to, feels so slow from the first episode that it’s difficult to hold on to your interest and watch the 50+ minutes of content for 10 episodes straight.

The series has two parts—Cross’s personal and professional lives, both of which are in jeopardy. The problem with this series is that it’s nothing new. Over the course of the years, we have watched a version of this story in one way or another and in a more fast-paced way. This isn’t to say that the series doesn’t bring forth anything of interest, but there are too many moments when the series feels sluggish and ends up boring you thoroughly. I think it’s because the twists and turns are nothing new in the genre that gives us something to watch on OTT every week.

Aldis Hodge as Alex Cross is pretty great and the good performances are what left me going to the next episode. Hodge brings forth a vulnerability in the character that makes you root for him. His relationship with his family and with Samson are great to witness and are some of the reasons why you will find yourself watching the show. However, the serial killer side falls flat, in my opinion. There isn’t anything to uncover as we see who the mysterious killer is pretty early on. His actions with his latest victim, although shocking, aren’t really terrifying. There is some intrigue surrounding why the killer is doing what they are doing but other than that, there is not much that truly sets it apart from other shows.

Plus, some really predictable moments in the series will get on your nerves. The trope of famed detectives not being believed by everyone around them for some reason or another and then facing something difficult before being absolved of all problems has gotten a bit tiring at this point. I don’t think it adds anything to the mystery either and, personally, it leaves me annoyed. Plus, the series reinvents the obvious outcome of everything happening throughout its 8 episodes in any way. It’s a bit boring when all of your guesses come true – I would’ve loved it if there was something shocking that left our mouths agape in the last episode.

Final Thoughts

Cross isn’t a bad show – I did enjoy it from time to time. But it’s not a very different show, in my opinion, because it follows a tried and tested path with a done-to-death serial killer who thinks they are an artist or whatever. There was scope for this to be something truly shocking, especially thanks to the performances, but I found myself apathetic to the story by the end because nothing truly stood out in any way.

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