La Cage: Does Frank Gastambide’s MMA series live up to the expectations of combat sports fans?

what is this

A young fighter with dreams of becoming a pro struggles to get noticed until an unexpected fight thrusts him into the spotlight and he faces a formidable opponent.

cage, Available November 8 on Netflix

who is he with

Melvin Boomer plays Taylor Keita, a young MMA fighter determined to become a great champion and stay out of trouble. In turn, Frank Gastambid attributes his qualities to the boss, Taylor’s club coach. Although he doesn’t believe in himself at first, he eventually realizes his talent.

Meanwhile, Antoine Simon, Edwige Ahonto, and Yannis Kebab play Nico, Elena, and Bilal, respectively, Taylor’s friends who are all part of the MMA club run by Boss.

Finally, you will also be able to find MMA stars, as Georges St-Pierre, Bosch, Cyril Ghani, Ariel Helwan, Samir Ghedin, Antoine Simon, Taylor Lapidus, Firas Zahab and Abdel “The Blade” Medjedub are also there.

is it worth watching

cage Finally available on Netflix after months of waiting and real enthusiasm from the community. But then, what is the significance of this first series focused on MMA, a medium that is still very little known in France? In our opinion, fans of the genre should win.

Clearly influenced by The Rock and Creed, this five-episode piece of fiction offers a real immersion into the sport, which is difficult to say the least. And this is probably its greatest strength! It’s impossible not to marvel at the scenery or get choked up by the sight of our hero battling the biggest.

This is his second success. The matches are amazingly realistic, as if we really witnessed a large-scale battle. Whether it’s the protagonists, the craziness of society or the extremely accurate speeches of the commentators, everything comes together to fully immerse us in the story and allow us to believe it.

We spend this entire first season almost paralyzed because we are afraid of Taylor and feel so sorry for her. Despite all his kindness, kindness and talent, no one believes him, and not everyone close to him is as kind as they seem.

So the poor man alternates between his crime and his dreams. Because La Cage is really a series about what it’s worth to achieve your goal when you start from nothing, when you have to fight both in the ring and in life to achieve and get what we want most.

If we get the message easily, we still regret the clichés that are inevitably attached. The problems are apparent from the start, which ultimately leads to a few surprises during the final episode.

Similarly, Taylor’s mother, particularly unsympathetic, is disturbing. It’s hard to really understand their bond and how the young man continues to help her despite the low blows he is constantly subjected to.

On the other hand, the sometimes weak acting of the actors does not help to get 100% into the story along with the fights. However, the participation of certain MMA stars provides a real guarantee for viewers, who know very well that they will witness a credible confrontation.

in short, cage It certainly has something to appeal to those who love combat sports. Extremely accurate and faithful to the codes of this discipline, it does not revolutionize the genre, but it perfectly immerses us in this world to prove to us that behind the violence, there are strong values ​​from which everyone should be inspired.