Kaleidoscope is an innovative heist drama series that centres around a bunch of semi-retired crooks, that get together for one last robbery of their life. The series is created by Eric Garcia and stars Giancarlo Esposito in the role of the heist mastermind Leo Pap. Moreover, the series is designed in such a manner, that each viewer gets a unique viewing experience, depending on the colour (name) of their episodes.
The complete cast of the series includes Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall, Rosaline Elbay, Jai Courtney, Niousha Noor, Jordan Mendoza, Soojeong Son and Hemky Madera in prominent roles. Furthermore, this review, in particular, is based on the colour chronology of Yellow, Green, Orange, Violet, Blue, Red, Pink and White.
The official synopsis of the series reads as
-Kaleidoscope Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The premise of Kaleidoscope is something that varies uniquely with each viewer. For instance, I had my start with the colour Yellow (where each colour represents a different episode) and ended with the final colour- White (which, remains the same for each viewer). The concept of differentiating the watching experience is intriguing, but somehow, I am more concerned about the story, than the experiment.
Based on the context of episode Yellow, the story takes place 6 weeks before the heist is executed. And finds the purposeful Leo Tap (played by Giancarlo Esposito) amidst a grand scheming of things. The mastermind behind the complete planning gathers a team of resourceful professionals, to assist him to plan a robbery of 7 Billion dollars in unsecured bonds.
At first, the task looks like an impossible feat with serious repercussions. But slowly and steadily, the team makes the process less daunting, and more conventional. In fact, I couldn’t help but get a reminiscence of every Heist movie that I have ever watched, while moving forward with the story. Including The Italian Job in particular.
The story part of the series is relatively weaker than the experimental part. Moreover, nearly everything is alike with respect to the genre, including the characters and screenplay elements. There is a fail-safe strategy, a redeeming protagonist, an underexposed love triangle, and obviously, some last minutes surprises. All of which feel repetitive and overused.
Even though the conventional parts have the core strength to work on their own, the series itself lacks the intriguing power of attention. And also tries to replace it with a fancy concept. Moreover, at some point, it is successful in imitating the best of the genre, but for the most part, lacks the perfect treatment.
The brilliance of Giancarlo Esposito holds the act together until the finale but fails to save the entire setup. Furthermore, if you leave his role aside, the rest of the supporting characters were one-dimensional and served only to further the plot, rather than adding depth to the story.
Kaleidoscope Final Thoughts
Overall, the Heist series was a disappointment due to its weak execution, underdeveloped characters, and overtly slick elements. Even though the premise had potential, the show failed to deliver an engaging and satisfying viewing experience for me. Morever, I might still opt for another colour, or another different watching experience to compensate for the order.
You can stream the series on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.