Just Beyond Season One Review

The works of famed author R.L. Stine have seen a resurgence as of late following the release of the Fear Street trilogy of films on Netflix, Disney+ now has their part with Just Beyond an anthology series based on his series of graphic novels. The difference in streaming platforms should provide a major indication of who the series is ultimately geared for. As opposed to the more violent, adult oriented film trilogy, this series is geared towards younger viewers for better or worse. Telling eight different stories over the course of episodes around the 30 minutes mark or less, the ultimate goal of the series is to teach lessons/themes through its use of sci-fi and fantasy elements. While these themes aren’t that hard to figure out, they are sure to at least have somewhat of an impact upon younger viewers. The material, meanwhile, is also geared towards younger viewers therefore may come off as corny to some but for the most part, it made the series endearing in a way. Though not all the episodes worked at finding that balance between compelling stories and endearing youthful escapism, its overall batting average was a welcome surprise.

Eight standalone tales, Just Beyond goes from brainwashing, to aliens, to witches, monsters, and ghosts just to name a few in stories revolving around a young main character or characters all experiencing some sort of individual adversity, usually around families and growing up. Suffice it to say that one’s enjoyment of the episodes will depend on the viewer’s ability to connect with their respective main characters but to their credit, they offered a decent amount of fun while never running out their welcome thanks to the short episode lengths. That being said, things do get a little silly at times in order to get to its eventual conclusion. The predictability of each episode’s theme kind of made the episodes on the predictable side which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. In the end, watching it all come together had some redeeming qualities though their abrupt endings perhaps took away from their emotional impact.

When it came to its production value, it was certainly there granted that it is limited because Just Beyond is a television series. It merely fits with the general corniness of the series with its special effects showing up as needed. As mentioned, the material is corny, from the stories to the dialog. Keeping in mind the audience for which it is geared to, the writing reeks of writers trying to write for younger audiences which did not make it necessarily seamless with some episode sticking out more than others. Though for what it was, the performances were okay across the board with McKenna Grace, Gabriel Bateman, and Cedric Joe standing out in their respective episodes.

At the end of the day, Just Beyond is perfect, harmless entertainment that is worth the watch if only to kill some time but don’t expect it to last in viewers’ memory long after.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.