‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter’ Review: An Action-Packed Family Adventure
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Bounty hunting is a hazardous job. We have seen many examples of it in many films for decades. The western genre was basically filled with bounty hunters trying to catch the most dangerous criminals in the old west. The profession was also able to jump from the western genre into science fiction, where some of the most famous bounty hunters now live. Boba Fett, for example, got his own Disney Plus show just recently, and in it, the profession of catching criminals is as healthy as ever. My Dad the Bounty Hunter, a new Netflix animated series, is ready to do more of that.
My Dad the Bounty Hunter is a CGI animated series created by Everett Downing Jr. and Patrick Harpin. The series stars a fantastic cast of actors, including Laz Alonso, Priah Ferguson, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jecobi Swain, and Keith Ferguson, among others. The series tells the story of Sean and his older sister, Lisa, who discover that their dad is actually one of the most famous bounty hunters in the galaxy. When the pair slips into his spaceship without him noticing, it will be the beginning of a fantastic new adventure.
My Dad the Bounty Hunter is a classic tale of a busy dad neglecting his family because his job demands a lot of attention from him. This setup for the story could basically be its own genre, and it has been told several times throughout the decades. The message of spending more time with your family seems to be a very good one, there is nothing like family time, but there are some situations that for sure go above and beyond that responsibility. However, very few stories go down the most realistic route, especially not the ones aimed at kids.
So, with this classic setup, My Dad the Bounty Hunter becomes a very entertaining if dated, space adventure. The characters all fall into the classic archetypes we have seen before, and they work very well. Again, this show is aimed directly at children, so they won’t have the knowledge that this is not that original. It could be that this is their first contact with this type of story, and if so, that’s great. However, adults trying to watch the show with their kids expect just more of the same.
In the animation department, the series really goes above the average for this type of CGI TV series. CGI has allowed many shows to get into a production schedule that is constant not only in delivery time but also in quality level. My Dad the Bounty Hunter, offers so many very interesting and detailed scenarios, as well as some very cute characters. You can feel that whoever designs the world is having a blast doing it. The character design falls into the same category that Disney and DreamWorks have been doing for decades, and it really makes you wonder if this is all that can be done.
Maybe, this is the easiest way to make characters using CGI tools, but all these productions default to this look so much that it feels like there is a template somewhere to make characters this way. After more than two decades of watching CGI animation, it gets old when you see the same type of character for the thousandth time. The alien creatures that appear on the show fare better, but there is still a sense of familiarity. It works, but it would be just so cool to see new designs appearing in mainstream shows.
Each episode of the show runs for about 22 minutes, and with ten episodes in this first season, My Dad the Bounty Hunter becomes an easy binge for both kids and parents looking to watch something together. The series also makes use of a very good score by Joshua Mosley that really hits the nail when it comes to that feeling of adventure we love to see in our stories. As a package, the production values are quite solid. It might not be as interesting as other shows from a concept point of view, but it is fun, and that is quite important.
The series functions on more of an episodic structure, at least for the first half. Later, the series starts developing more of its overarching storytelling devices and becomes more interesting as a result. Until it reaches the season finale, and everything comes to light in a very satisfying fashion. Of course, the concept is left open for more seasons to come, and if they remain in the same quality as this first season, then they are very welcome indeed.
My Dad the Bounty Hunter is a very fun, if somewhat generic, space adventure that places a lot of importance on the message of family and how they can be the most important thing in the universe. The message is pure, but it can get a bit overwhelming after so many episodes. The world design is amazing, and the characters are fun, but they look just like every other CGI character in the last two decades of 3D animation. What matters is that it is fun, and kids will have a blast going to space and experiencing these great adventures.
