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Hanna. Didn’t I already watch that? Oh yeah, I did.

Some eight years before the Amazon prime TV series, there was a film of the same name. I watched that movie version in 2012, probably very shortly after it was released to DVD. Despite earning a not-so-bad rating from IMDb (6.8) and a decent-enough (3.9) rating from Netflix (for me – 3.6 for everyone else), I just didn’t like the original version of Hanna. I don’t remember why I didn’t like it. I only know that I gave it 2 stars after watching.

By the time the TV series was released (2019), I had pretty much forgotten that I’d even watched Hanna (film). Amazon was pushing it on me but, then again, they would, wouldn’t they? Since I didn’t really remember the original, or really even remember whether I’d watched the original, there was simply this vague notion that I shouldn’t be that excited about the series format.

Nonetheless IMDb, upon which I’ve come to rely for such things, ranks this version a 7.6. Experience says that is a solid recommendation. So I am in the process of giving it a go.

Editorial Note: I wrote this post thinking I was watching, and therefore reviewing, Season 1 of the three-season series. In fact, I was watching Season 3. I’ve decided not to change what I wrote.

As best as I can tell, this story is intended to pick up where the film left off. If nothing else, there is some continuity in the development. The original writing credit went to both Seth Lochhead and David Farr. The former came up with the Hanna screenplay as a student and the latter appears to been the “industry professional” who finalized the script for filming. It is Farr who proposed and then wrote and produced the TV version.

The TV part of the story begins at a secret training school for hot, young* female assassins. They are nearing assassin-school graduation after which they will be turned lose upon Europe to “execute” a series of missions. We quickly come to learn that those missions are under a super-secret (and probably rogue) element of the CIA and are clearly malignant in their intent. Fortunately, our hero Hanna is wise to the injustice and, with some help, intends to set things right.

I’m not sure how to interpret what I am watching.

All the top characters are women and most of them are teenage (again*) girls – and this applies to the both the heroes and the villains. The exceptions are the dueling father figures played by Dermot Mulroney and Ray Liotta, both of which look so much older than how I had remembered them. Remaining male characters are either of the milquetoast-boyfriend variety or one of a mighty army of “redshirts,” which the gals rapidly gun down using only their compact pistol and a never-ending supply of 9mm.

So is this meant to be a gurl-power, I-can-do-everything-better message? Is it a subversive flip of the script, where sexual roles are reversed? Is it an attempt at diversity that went a little overboard? The fact that I’m confused discounts the validity** of whichever one of these it is hoping to be.

Throw on top of that the key plot element (some spoilers …sort of). The “kill list” consists of young, left-wing activists and “influencers” who are identified by a computer AI as having the potential to become dangerous as they grow into proper adults. It’s all very sinister and sounds ripped from the headlines but it is implemented rather one-dimensionally. An Arab man preaches self-actualization as “resistance” akin to Algerian War with France? Kill him. A young lady preaches environmental action in non-specific way that, nonetheless, invokes a certain frowning Scandanavia personality? Take her out! Wait… who are the bad guys again?

Throw on top of this a big helping of cartoonish action/violence that, while done well enough, hardly stands out among current film and video gaming offerings. My best guess is the real sin is how it is all a bit scattered – trying to do a bunch of things simultaneously and succeeding at none of them. It is a fast-paced action thriller. It is a sexy and romantic coming of age story. It is a serious message about politics and the dangers of a deep-state, embedded tyranny. It’s an educational message about gender roles. Plus it is another, indirect message about how we consume violence in the media and what that does to us.

I enjoy watching the likes of Esme Creed-Miles as the title character and Áine Rose Daly as her better-looking, mean-girl nemesis. They ARE easy on the eyes. The shootouts and such are passably entertaining too. But I’m left not really caring about the story. We can save the lives of 20-some future gen-zed world leaders? Eh… who cares. Department of Defense meanie was once physically and emotionally abusive to his daughter (whom he REALLY wanted to be a son)? Why am I watching this again?

Hanna consists*** of a short six episodes per season. I might as well finish the run. I don’t expect to still be watching this a week from now.

*My initial assumption was that they were meant to be teens… high school age. Lead actress was barely eighteen when filming began. Given the way teens are so often played by adults, I tend to assume that characters are always meant to be younger than they look. After some assumed-age-inappropriate activity (drinking and sex… not to mention the killing of large numbers of people), I decided that these gals probably, in fact, are meant to be college aged. I still suspect this ambiguity is deliberate, meant to be part of the appeal. For whatever it’s worth, the original Hanna was supposed to be 15.

**I’m not complaining, here, about teenaged girl assassins. I always assume that Hanna (film) took its inspiration from older films; films that I enjoyed. I’m thinking of La Femme Nikita and The Professional, at the moment, but I’m not trying very hard to be comprehensive. My point, rather, is that any of this done right would be welcomed entertainment.

***Well, not really. Season 2 has eight episode. This deviation just makes it really hard to write about.