Warrior Nun Season 1 (2020) Review

So this show hit Netflix last week and I have now had the chance to watch the ten episodes of the first season of Warrior Nun and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a girl wake up in the morgue when she discovers she has been bestowed with superpowers as the chosen Halo Bearer for a secret sect of demon hunting Nuns.

Main Character

Young Actress Alba Baptista plays Ava the main character here and I really liked her. Her character is really interesting and has a great arc, she is the total opposite of a nun but is given this power and you see how it affects her and causes her life to change. She is also a pretty funny actress, not all of the comedic dialogue works but she really does her best with it and rises above some of the dialogue, especially with the inner dialogue which was a highlight for me. 

Supporting Characters

Toya Turner plays the greatly named Shotgun Mary and I really liked her character aswell. She has her own individual arc and it fits really well alongside Ava and when they meet later on in the season their stories and philosophies really interact well and they have good chemistry. Tristan Ulloa plays Father Vincent and I thought he was really good here, he is great as the head of this order but he really thrives later on in the season when more is revealed about his character he becomes one of the most interesting aspects of the show. Kristina Tonteri-Young plays Sister Beatrice and it took me a few episodes to care about her character but she ends up giving a really good performance and as I said for other characters she improves as the show goes on. To be honest in terms of performance I thought everybody did a good job in building a cast of interesting characters. 

Story

The story is that of a coming of age tale for the main character and it is handled pretty well. I ended up caring about Ava as a character and the relationships she had built up. Also the idea of a secret demon hunting cult of nuns is a really cool premise and they do a great job of using this premise to keep you interested. But there are elements of the story I wasn't a huge fan of, the Science vs Religion debate is used here and for me it was the least interesting part of the show, with not that much payoff. Also the finale is great but the ending feels a bit rushed to me, we get a few reveals and then it ends on a cliffhanger which felt a bit undeserved in my opinion. 

Script

The script has been much talked about online and I don't think it is as bad as people make out bit it certainly isn't great. I thought there were some pretty funny moments and some of the drama does work but also there is your generic teenager dialogue that feels incredibly unnatural and makes the character a bit less kileable overall.

Style

The style of the show is also a mixed bag, the first thing I will mention is the setting. The show is mostly set in Spain and it looks amazing, a show or film is always better if your backdrop looks beautiful. The action scenes are also pretty decent, nothing mindblowing but well filmed action with some pretty decent CGI when it is sparingly used. But my one issue is the pacing of the show, it feels like this could have chopped a few episodes off, mainly in the opening 5 episodes and it would have been much better paced. Also for a show about Warrior Nuns there are some episodes where it feels like there is very little action which is a big letdown.

Overall

Overall. this is a really fun show. Yes it lacks the complexity and depth of other shows but I watched it and had a good time with it. If you like really serious shows this might not be for you, but if you can enjoy a fun action show that has demon fighting nuns then I suggest you watching this show. 

Rating - 7/10