DMZ is an American dystopian streaming television miniseries created by Roberto Pantino, based on the comic book series of the same name by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. The premise involves a second American Civil War turning Manhattan Island into a demilitarised zone (DMZ), where a NYC medic Alma Ortega (Rosario Dawson) returns to the island to find her lost son after an 8-year fruitless search in the USA and the secessionist Free States of America (FSA).
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Now the first thing to realise is that this adaptation is nothing like the comic books at all. The only story element that remains is the fact of Manhattan island as a demilitarised zone during the civil war between the USA and the FSA. That’s basically it! Thus, fans of the original material will probably be rightly incensed with the changes made completely from the source material. The protagonist in the comic books was Matty Roth, a journalist chronicling the events that unfolded during this civil war, with the vibe being equal parts Escape from New York and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
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There’s no Matty Roth in this miniseries. There is hardly any explanation of the political circumstances that brought about the civil war and nothing about the FSA completely. Thus, the viewer would have to guess throughout the miniseries as to what the FSA were about. Instead, we have this incredulous storyline with this Alma character effectively portrayed as a ‘Mary Sue’ of sorts.
After all, in a matter of days, she goes from being a DMZ noob (a medic, no less) to being elected the Governor! Of course, it’s effective story-telling for the main character to achieve her quest but in this context, four episodes is way too quick when you consider the circumstances that Alma was inserted into, without any resources whatsoever.
The manner in which Alma overcomes every single obstacle thrown her way in double quick time is simply ridiculous. This DMZ miniseries is simply a poor adaptation, effectively adopting the superficial elements of the comic book series to tell a very bad story that smacks of woke culture. As disappointing as that adaptation of Y The Last Man. Avoid at all costs.
Now streaming on HBO Max.
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