The critics are universally loving the new HBO series Irma Vep. After debuting its premiere episode, the series has managed to garner a rare, perfect score of 100% at Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus for Irma Vep describes the TV show as "catnip for cinephiles and a welcome spotlight for the spellbinding Alicia Vikander," as well as a "worthwhile expansion of writer-director Olivier Assayas' cinematic opus."
"The new Irma Vep may seem to be built solely for cinephiles. But it’s accessible and self-aware in how it giddily honors and skewers the modern entertainment industry," Shirley Li of The Atlantic stated in her review.
"A beautifully observed satire on modern filmmaking, skewering the monolith of Hollywood superhero cinema and poking fun at the trappings of prestige TV," added Amelia Berry of Flicks.co.nz.
Meanwhile, Tara Bennett of IGN Movies explained, "It’s certainly a slow burn when it comes to plot, but if you love peeking into the world of making movies and TV, and atypical storytelling, Irma Vep is one to watch."
Irma Vep Is a Remake of an Olivier Assayas Movie
Olivier Assayas previously released the French film Irma Vep in 1996, and this new HBO series is based on that film. Also written and directed by Assayas, the new Irma Vep stars Alicia Vikander in the lead role with the cast also including Adria Arjona, Carrie Brownstein, Tom Sturridege, Fala Chen, And Devon Ross. You can read the official logline below.
Mira, an American movie star who is disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, comes to France to star as "Irma Vep" in a remake of the French silent film classic "Les Vampires."
"I think it’s a continuation of that film more than anything," Vikander said of the new series in comparison to the original Irma Vep, via Goggler. "Not so much a sequel. When Olivier Assayas first spoke to me about the project, he said that he was excited to step into this universe because he felt like the story didn’t have real closure when he made it the first time. Of course, the world has changed since, and the way we watch films and cinema has changed. So it’s a story very much set in our time. So it’s actually interesting to see how different the world has become in 26 years between Olivier’s first attempt and now."
She added, "Of course, at the time, I didn’t even really know what the character was going to be like, but then I was introduced to Mira, and for me it was just the excitement of stepping into all the different layers and the meta universe that we have in the series. To step into a character that I, of course, can relate to, considering that we have the same profession and we’re kind of in the same world, but also given that we’re two quite different characters. On top of that, there’s also the film within the film, which if anything, was a treat."
Irma Vep debuts new episodes each Monday on HBO. You can also stream the series on HBO Max.