Tim Miller delivers another masterpiece anthology with Secret Level S1
Last Updated on December 18, 2024
Tim Miller, take a bow, mate. After the success of Love, Death, & Robots (2019, 2021, 2022) and (of course) Deadpool (2016), I think we can all agree we expected amazing things when Miller announced he’d be partnering with Amazon Prime to deliver another anthology series, Secret Level. With fifteen short episodes based on fifteen different gaming franchises, Miller had plenty to play with, and Secret Level blew away my expectations.
While the episodes are going to appeal to people based on what they grew up playing and the type of stories they enjoy, there were a few episodes that really stood out to me–most in the first half of the season. The Queen’s Cradle (Dungeon’s & Dragons) really captured that feeling of fast camaraderie, over the top scenery chewing, and self sacrifice that playing this game for the last six years online with mates has made me feel. The Once and Future King (The New World) was absolutely hilarious, with Schwarzenegger cracking me up as he tried to take rulership of a land of immortals. Good Conflict (Crossfire) and Asset Management (Armoured Core) are both going to appeal to grimdark fans with their focus on morally grey characterisation in their character casts. Concord: Tale of the Implacable gathered together a crew of rogues looking to stick their middle fingers up at the intergalactic corporation in control of all the trade routes while simultaneously fighting each crew member’s own self interests.
The really big surprise for me was Pac Man: Circle. Pretty much every anthology you watch or read will have a story or episode (or two) that doesn’t work for you. Seeing the title of this episode, I definitely thought this one was going to be it for Secret Level. It immediately destroyed my expectations of what that episode might be about and became one of my favourites, and I think one of the episodes that grimdark fans are going to enjoy the most. It’s utterly fucking brutal, and I could not tear my eyes from the screen.
However, most importantly for this particular fan and, I feel, a significant portion of our readers, we need to talk about that Warhammer 40,000 episode, And They Shall Know No Fear. It’s the best piece of 40k animation since Syama Pedersen delivered Astartes, hands down. Gone are the days of bulky moving Space Marines looking like roided-up bodybuilders who can’t reach their lower backs or turn right. Pedersen was included in the creation of the episode, and his smooth moving, vicious and bloody demigods in power armour scathing their way through the enemy style is there in absolute spades. It is a beautifully delivered, action-packed vignette, and even features Titus from the brilliant 2024 videogame Space Marine 2.
The delivery of And They Shall Know No Fear, this month’s announcement that the Henry Cavill led efforts to bring the franchise to screens has finally been signed off between Amazon and Games Workshop (Warhammazon), and the wild success of 2024’s Space Marine 2 video game, brings the future possibilities of this universe to life. For 40k fans, now is probably just about the greatest time in fan history to still be this side of the kiln doors.
As with all anthologies, there were some stories that I didn’t enjoy as much as others, but as with pretty much all of Miller’s animated anthologies so far, there is far more to like than dislike. Visually stunning, stacked with fascinating stories set in worlds we all love, Miller has helmed another franchise that’s going to have an army of fans waiting for more. I can’t wait for Season 2 to hit the screen!
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