Victor Magtanggol - Surprisingly Not A Rip-Off, But Wait!

The very controversial new fantasy series of GMA came with a lot of raised eyebrows the moment they revealed that the newest superhero will have Norse Mythology and looks very familiar to Marvel's Thor. And with the main weapon for the series is the Mjölnir, many say that it is a rip-off of the mythological franchise.

With a story based on a foreign mythology and a established comic icon, Victor Magtanggol would really need a lot of explanation to prove its worth on prime time. This series also brings back Alden Richards at the prime block since "Destined To Be Yours" which I think was too rushed. But Magtanggol has been planned for a long time, and may have gone with the production code "Mitho". Now its out after replacing the zombie-serye "The Cure", will Magtanggol be the fantaserye it was made to be or will its elements confirm a rip-off?

Watching the first episode, it pegs itself to make an epic introduction like Encantadia. The history of the myth, the people and some fighting. Honestly, the introduction was good for a Pinoy Teleserye, given that they are made mostly with CGI, which GMA I have to say has better grasp but still a long way from international standards. There are certain details that might have been overlooked but the intro was convincing of the origin story, the Ragnarok.  

Victor's introduction was very cliche, a carpenter, he is the breadwinner of the family, he saves a person in need, and segue other family drama. Some stunts made in the chase scenes were ok but too exaggerated which makes him too good to be a human. He then flies to Canada for work and a side quest to find his mother who left them. The revelation began with the compass that glowed when Victor touched it, which made his employer wonder.

In an event at his work, he encounters Gwen Regalado who is also Filipino and in just a few minutes finds herself in trouble with guys. Of course Victor comes to the rescue, and looks like he is too confident to take them all down. Yeah, the damsel in distress thing again for the Nth time.

First Impression Thoughts

First with the Norse Mythology and Thor comparison, I see they adapted the Nordic story in a generic way like many adaptations, however the design and costume aesthetics looks too familiar (the rainbow bridge, Asgard,  Flying boats to name a few) to the Marvel counterpart. Alden is not Thor but will have the power like the God of Thunder, because Thor is a different character played by Conan Stevens. He serves as the wielder of the Mjölnir and its powers soon and transforms into "HAMMERMAN" (seriously this feels like a child giving a name to an iconic super hero which deters impact of the hero, I would recommend "Lakan")!

In summary, the show is about an OFW looking for her mom, got a magic hammer to be a superhero and face evil. The formulaic plot makes it boring, I hope they experiment of really something new, or else it will be another forgettable hero in their ranks. I see the potential of the character, but seems trapped with the shallow plots and cliches which does not also challenge Alden to rise up from his previous roles.