Amazing Stories: Dynoman and the Volt [S1, E3] – Apple TV Plus Review (4/5)

DYNOMAN AND THE VOLT is episode 3 of the Apple TV Plus AMAZING STORIES reboot. This time the story is about a grandfather and his grandson – and superheroes! Out on Apple TV+ and you can read our Dynoman and the Volt review here!

Dynoman and the Volt is the third episode of the Amazing Stories reboot on Apple TV Plus. So far, the episodes have been more “sweet sci-fi” with a focus on love as opposed to the more creepy horror sci-fi that many may want.

Episode 3 of Amazing Stories is no exception. And honestly, you shouldn’t judge the series for this.

Please, keep in mind that Amazing Stories is more of an adventure sci-fi series than a horror sci-fi themed series. If you want the latter, then Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone are generally better suited to those expectations.

Want to read our reviews of the first two episodes of Amazing Stories on Apple TV+? 

Here’s our review of the pilot episode of Amazing Stories with the title “The Cellar” >

Episode 2 was called “The Heat” and you can find our review here >

Or just continue to our episode 3 “Dynoman and the Volt” review below. This time around, the story is about growing up and the magic of comic book superheroes!

The cast of Amazing Stories episode 3

For episode 3 of this Amazing Stories reboot, we see very familiar faces. Well, some of them anyway.

The young Tyler Crumley plays the lead character, Dylan. You might recognize Tyler Crumley from Godzilla II: King of the Monsters (2019). Also, Kyle Bornheimer is in this story. You might know him from Marriage Story (2019) or the horror-comedy Little Evil (2017). In Dynoman and the Volt, he plays the dad of Dylan.

Alison Bell might not be a familiar name or face to everyone, but she’s been in all kinds of good stuff. She was in the Australian series Tomorrow, When the War Began which I’m still hoping will continue. Also, she’s been in an episode of The Leftovers, and both created and starred in The Letdown comedy series.

Also, the late Robert Forster is in this episode and he is always great. In fact, this episode is dedicated to him. The entire story is all about him playing the grandfather of Dylan. The two discover their joint love of comic book superheroes. The story then evolves and a comparison to M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable is obvious!

You might know Robert Forster from Jackie Brown (1997) which earned him an Oscar nomination. Or how about from Mullholland Drive (2011). Also, he’ll be in the upcoming The Werewolf which he also filmed before passing away in October of 2019.

The ending of the Dynoman and the Volt episode

Much like episodes of The Twilight Zone, the ending of Amazing Stories episodes can either make or break the overall experience. That’s why this isn’t going to be an “ending of Dynoman and the Volt explained”-bit. We generally never do those in reviews without a clear warning. Instead, we have done separate “ending explained” articles.

Anyway, this isn’t about spoilers but rather a commentary on how the Dynoman and the Volt ending worked. And honestly, it worked really well.

This episode is pure Spielberg magic along the lines of movies like E.T. (directed by Spielberg) or The Goonies (story by Speilberg). You know, the kind that features actual magic, adventure, and the world experienced (mostly) through the eye of a kid. In that sense, the ending of Dynoman and the Volt is spot on!

Watch Dynoman and the Volt on Apple TV+ now!

Dynoman and the Volt was directed by Susanna Fogel. She previously directed and co-wrote the movies Life Partners (2014) and The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). Also, she co-wrote the wildly popular Booksmart (2019) movie directed by Olivia Wilde. In other words, Susanna Fogel is damn good at creating women-led stories!

However, she’s clearly also good at directing movies that are about boys and men of various ages. With Dynoman and the Volt, the story was written by Peter Ackerman. He’s one of the writers behind Ice Age and Ice Age 3. However, he has also written several episodes of The Americans so he can do more than kids’ stories.

For fans of the magical world of Spielberg, this Amazing Stories episode should be a cute little treat. For those wanting something darker, the series reboot still hasn’t delivered on that aspect of sci-fi.

Dynoman and the Volt is out on Apple TV Plus as episode 3 of Amazing Stories from March 20, 2020.

Details

Director: Susanna Fogel
Stars: Robert Forster, Tyler Crumley, Alison Bell, Kyle Bornheimer, Toby Nichols