Amazon Prime’s TV Show ‘Reina Roja’ – ‘Red Queen’ Review: Great Book Adaptation That Fans Will Appreciate
‘Reina Roja’ is an upcoming thriller TV series adapted from Juan Gómez-Jurado’s novel, directed by Koldo Serra, and featuring Vicky Luengo and Hovik Keuchkerian in starring roles. The show is set to be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 29.
The show revolves around the smartest woman in the world with an IQ of 224, Antonia Scott who agrees to help two policemen, Jon Gutiérrez and “The Mentor” in solving a string of horrific crimes that have shaken Madrid to its core. After an influential banker’s son has been found completely drained of blood with a skull with half of his head almost surgically removed, it’s clear that Scott, Gutiérrez, and Mentor aren’t dealing with a regular killer. There’s also the fact that the killer will strike again, and when a wealthy heiress is kidnapped in the middle of nowhere, Scott’s prophetic statement comes true. Despite being the best person on the job, Scott is, however, constantly haunted by a problematic past which unfolds for the viewers in a series of flashbacks.
As mentioned before the show was based on a book written by Juan Gómez-Jurado, and apparently the author was very involved with the production of the show ensuring that the readers would be pleased as far as consistency goes. Now let’s start with the characters, Vicky Luengo does a very good job at convincing us that she is the smartest and the most confused person in the world. Her portrayal of the titular character is somewhat faithful to the books, and faithful when it comes to convincing us that whatever is happening inside her head is more important than what we’re seeing.
There were some eye-roll-worthy moments when it came to the portrayal of extreme intelligence, but those are small issues that mostly add to the drama of the show. As far as Hovik Keuchkerian’s character goes, the version of Jon Gutiérrez from the book is definitely funnier and more sarcastic, with the show version being somewhat serious and giving an impression that he doesn’t care about most things when in fact he does care a lot. Both Luengo and Keuchkerian were perfect for the roles.
The show is somewhat slow-paced with scenes that really lead nowhere. However, despite the pacing issues the series keeps the audience engaged throughout the season, building suspense until reaching a climax in the middle. The final episode ties up loose ends as expected. The unfolding tragedy through flashbacks gradually reveals more about the enigmatic Antonia Scott. The adaptation faithfully captured the essence of the book with identical scenes and dialogue being adapted 1:1, set in familiar locations around Madrid, lending credibility to the story and setting viewers even further into the experience.
The series is packed with plot twists, investigations, discoveries, and a healthy dose of action, but I felt that the mystery was somewhat predictable, it’s best not to elaborate on that due to the possible spoilers involved. The show has an incredibly atmospheric and bleak tone, effectively capturing the themes of misery, mystery, and insanity.
In any case, Reina Roja is one of the best examples of a book being adapted to the screen, it’s a solid mystery and thriller with just enough horrific moments that we can classify it as horror as well. The viewers will most certainly be hooked from the first minute.
Score: 6/10