After
the first episode of Apple TV+’s new iteration of Amazing Stories, the time traveling romance The Cellar, the show shifts gears somewhat as well as changes
directors completely with the second episode The Heat. Helmed by Slender Man director Sylvian White and
written by playwright Chinaka Hodge, The
Heat follows two high-school track-runner best friends, diligent and
headstrong Sterling (E’myra Crutchfield) and party girl Tuka (Hailey Kilgore). Pushing one another to the limit on the track
field on a daily basis, the two are inseparable. That is until a hit-and-run tragedy strikes
one night, leaving one of them in the afterlife but not without a catch: the
two can still communicate if they’re running together.
Though somewhat heavier than the first episode offered on the show, The Heat winds up being an endearing and moving change of pace for the series, providing a supernatural spin on the inspirational sports movie tropes while exploring the eternal bonds of friendship. Like Jerry Zucker’s Ghost, it’s heroine has unfinished business and isn’t quite ready to leave our world just yet though The Heat manages to surprise with ideas even the most seasoned supernatural filmgoer won’t see coming.
Sylvian
White’s use of hyperkinetic, somewhat psychedelic editing in certain scenes can
be somewhat trying for the viewer though some techniques like the use of the
drone camera prove to be quite effective.
Mostly though, this is an actor’s piece with much of the heavy lifting
done by the young two leads. Both
Crutchfield and Kilgore as the doomed duo are very strong and are asked to
exhibit tense, strained emotions which they more than delivery on. You’d have to be a hard pressed cynic not to
be moved by the dilemma faced by these two.
Like
the first episode, The Heat runs just
under an hour but in that time tells a story worth most feature length
pictures. As to whether or not this new Amazing Stories iteration catches on
with viewers remains to be seen, but for my money I’ve been enjoying the
journeys taken on Spielberg’s reboot of his beloved mid-80s television
program. A good companion piece to the
recent reboot of The Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories continues to impress and
even has the capacity to draw newcomers in who were previously unfamiliar with
the original series. Keep up the good
work, people!
--Andrew Kotwicki
