Doesn’t the world shine more brightly with imaginative tales like “The Umbrella Academy” out there? I rated the first episode as 8/10 and then felt the next four episodes drifted a little. But from the start of Episode 5 through to its (literally) cataclysmic finale, the viewer is in good hands. The pace sprints, each plot component is expertly wrought, and every scene is filmed gorgeously and artfully realized. All seven of the superheroes are perfectly cast for seven actors in fine form; let me resist praising Ellen Page and instead carve out Tom Hopper in the nuanced role of Luther, Robert Sheehan pitch perfect as Klaus, and Cameron Britton as villain turned penitent. After eight episodes, “The Umbrella Academy” feels how a superhero movie should: cartoonish yet mythic and a thrill.
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