PremiumCitadel: Diana review - Matilda De Angelis-led espionage thriller is too much talk and too little action
Matilda De Angelis shines in Citadel: Diana, but the series falls short of delivering a truly thrilling espionage experience.
Last Updated: 11.29 PM, Oct 09, 2024
Citadel: Diana story:
2030 in Milan: Eight years ago, the formidable enemy syndicate known as Manticore destroyed the autonomous global spy agency Citadel. Since then, Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis), an undercover Citadel spy, has found herself stranded in Manticore, acting as a mole behind enemy lines. Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the heir to Manticore Italy and the son of the Italian organisation's head, Ettore Zani (Maurizio Lombardi), is competing for leadership against the other European families. When she finally sees an escape route and the opportunity to vanish forever, she must rely on an unexpected ally—Edo—to accomplish this.
Citadel: Diana review:
After more than a year, we are back in the world of Citadel, and we have already reached six years in the future. If you recall, the US version of the series, widely regarded as one of the most expensive shows ever, featured numerous back-and-forth moments that left us perplexed and challenged us to keep up with the action. The series threw words like Citadel and Manticore at random, leaving us to catch up and understand them. The story continues with Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis), a secret Citadel agent who continues to work for the organisation that Manticore destroyed.
She hoped to exact revenge on Manticore for the plane tragedy that killed her parents eight years ago by becoming a Citadel agent. However, due to the latter's attempts to eliminate their rival, the titular agency eventually faded into oblivion, leaving only one individual to continue its corruption-free goal of safeguarding the world.
In the present, Diana, realising her chronic illness and exhaustion from upholding the Citadel tradition, seizes the opportunity to retire from espionage. After giving up a weapon as a means of banishing, the hero meets Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the next-in-line to take over Manticore. Diana must choose her allegiances and make a decision between her attraction to Edo and the transformation he could bring to the Italian organisation, as well as the prospect of finally being able to prioritise her small family.
In the opening scene of the series, Diana shoots someone and also injures herself in the arm, indicating that the action was a defensive one. From the series' beginning, it appeared that the scene would recur at the end of the sixth episode. However, it was the end of the season premiere episode, only to show that series is going to bounce off and take your energy to still understand the words like Citadel and Manticore.
Citadel: Diana takes itself too seriously to show how supposed enemies fall in love while trying to save the country. However, being an espionage thriller, the series reeks of more dialogue and less action. In Citadel, we witnessed Priyanka Chopra Jonas engaging in gun-blazing battles and hand-to-hand combat while donning a scarlet gown. However, here, it felt like Matilda was saved from performing a lot of kickass action so as to save her bobbed wig from falling off, which was totally asymmetrical throughout the series.
At its core, Citadel: Diana is all about families and seeking validation from them. Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio) shows his father Ettore (Maurizio Lombardi) that he can take Manticore to new heights with his technologically advanced weapons and equipment. Until the very end, Edo persists in persuading his father that he is capable of taking charge, only to encounter rejection and discover that fate arrives swiftly and without any surprises.
On the other hand, Diana's only remaining family is her sister, who is unaware of how their parents completely transformed her and thrust her into a state of survival. Unfortunately, without delving farther into its protagonists' storylines, the spin-off falls back on outdated spy clichés.
Moreover, Citadel and Manticore's worlds remain undeveloped.
Citadel: Diana has some great ideas for the action scenes and armour designs, but they fall flat in the end. With only six episodes available for streaming, the series is brief, yet its shallow ideas fail to leave an impact. In a few hours, I won't remember a single thing, despite having attempted to watch it over the course of two days.
However, compared to Citadel, I found this one to be more engaging and less confusing. There's a far-fetched attempt to go with Mission: Impossible, and it seems like the makers learnt it the hard way. In terms of her performances, Matilda excels in every aspect, but to be honest, her appearance during the flashback sequences seems more realistic than her hairstyle throughout the series.
However, Citadel: Diana falls short of advancing the Citadel Spyverse or fully utilising its concept. It is more of a coming-of-age drama series, and to be honest, it reminded me of the flashback sequences in Tiger 3, which showed the backstory of Katrina Kaif's character Zoya, but offered nothing to the franchise. Conversely, it only served to exacerbate the situation.
Citadel: Diana verdict:
Citadel: Diana aims to infiltrate the heart of espionage drama but ends up more tangled in its own web. While Matilda De Angelis delivers a strong performance, the series itself struggles to balance family dynamics with action-packed thrills. Despite flashes of intrigue, the series ultimately feels like a mole—hidden beneath layers of missed potential.