Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Review: Interesting But Nothing Memorable

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Review: Both a rumour and a legend, Sam Fisher finds himself thrust back into the shadowy world of espionage when he must save a new recruit from being murdered while unravelling a global conspiracy.

The series is based on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell by Ubisoft and consists of 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 30 minutes.

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch Review

My limited research into Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy’s very popular video game series, has taken me to discover that Sam Fisher is the most memorable part of the franchise, a character who is memorable for many reasons. If you, like me, are not familiar with the series, then this Netflix series will be a somewhat fun watch that requires some prior research… or maybe reading a review or two.

For one, Fisher is old here but not completely forgettable as he lands punches here, there and everywhere quite deftly. However, the show makes it clear that he is not the spry guy he once was and has his moments of slowness that anyone above a certain age feels. It adds a realistic touch to the story and makes his character dynamic. The other characters are fine as well, although clearly not the centre of attention. Sometimes I found some characters to be a bit tropey, but overall, I found them interesting with things to actually do instead of just existing for Fisher’s sake.

Coming to the story, I think the setting and the tone are quite great, and the action was fantastic. There’s quite a bit of gore, although the video games are supposed to be stealth-heavy. This will make new viewers more interested in the content instead of leaving them skipping to jump ahead. However, I did think that the overall plot felt a bit obvious and repetitive. The B-plots, too, meander at times, and there’s not enough newness to it to make it stand out as a whole.

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I enjoyed the animation style as well and, again, although it’s nothing new, it’s clean and safe. Liev Schreiber is great as Sam Fischer and will catch your attention from the first episode. I mean, it’s clear that the tension of the games has not been replicated here, and I guess a bit more complicated a plot would’ve made more of an impact since it’s so action-heavy. I didn’t find the series to be particularly tense in any way, which makes watching this a bit of a downer.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I found Splinter Cell: Deathwatch to be a fine entertainer, although there’s nothing new to the series that made it stand out for me. As a new watcher, that might be a problem because it doesn’t bring in new eyes, or maybe it’s happy with the attention that it already gets. Either way, this one’s a good one-time watch in my books.

What did you think about Splinter Cell? Let us know in the comments below!

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