American Vandal is well crafted wry true crime satire, beautifully presented in a docu-drama style. Though the series is targeted to teen audiences in general, with its well written script and an inquisitive screenplay the series would even impress people who are well into their forties, mainly for reliving the nostalgia of High school. Full credit to the director Tony Yacenda for choosing docu-drama style of presentation rather than a regular motion picture style, as it has added a whole new dimension for the series in terms of believability.
Though the main premise of American Vandal is gross and vulgar on many counts, it is a comedy and hence shouldn't be taken seriously. Screenplay is the main strength of American Vandal and it is this wonderful writing that keeps the suspense till the last episode. Editing is crisp with a total runtime of around 260 minutes. Production design and costumes were in tone with the series but makeup was a little overdone in places. The choice of different cameras for different times & places was a very good.
Overall, Clever, deadpan, and instantly quotable, this mockumentary pries some knowing laughter from a genre that typically takes itself very seriously: true crime. American Vandal starts in on the ironic imitation right in the credits, with (school paper!) headlines about the graffiti crime dissolving into grimly lit photos of the crime scene and portentous yearbook photos. There are talking-head interviews and close ups of ominous looking official paperwork; there are cork boards with string connecting photos and clues. And there is always the fact that the crime in question is a row of spray painted graffiti. 7.2 stars out of 10 for rekindling the nostalgia of High School.
Though the main premise of American Vandal is gross and vulgar on many counts, it is a comedy and hence shouldn't be taken seriously. Screenplay is the main strength of American Vandal and it is this wonderful writing that keeps the suspense till the last episode. Editing is crisp with a total runtime of around 260 minutes. Production design and costumes were in tone with the series but makeup was a little overdone in places. The choice of different cameras for different times & places was a very good.
Overall, Clever, deadpan, and instantly quotable, this mockumentary pries some knowing laughter from a genre that typically takes itself very seriously: true crime. American Vandal starts in on the ironic imitation right in the credits, with (school paper!) headlines about the graffiti crime dissolving into grimly lit photos of the crime scene and portentous yearbook photos. There are talking-head interviews and close ups of ominous looking official paperwork; there are cork boards with string connecting photos and clues. And there is always the fact that the crime in question is a row of spray painted graffiti. 7.2 stars out of 10 for rekindling the nostalgia of High School.