Marco Polo: The Complete First Season

Historical accuracy takes a backseat to excitement, political skullduggery, and sex in this Netflix original series about the titular 13th-century Venetian, who spent nearly 20 years at the court of the Mongolian warlord Kublai Khan and recorded his colorful experiences following his return to Europe. Lorenzo Richelmy is a handsome if also rather bland Marco, while Benedict Wong cuts an imposing bearlike figure as Khan. One of the many interwoven narrative strands focuses on Marco's assimilation into the royal court—despite suspicions from many of the ruler's family and advisors—including his training in martial arts and horsemanship by a grim Taoist monk called Hundred Eyes (Tom Wu). A second concerns the Italian's dangerous romantic interests at court, while a third involves Khan's determination to conquer the world—which leads not only to a struggle with his own brother over territory but also a protracted effort to capture a heavily-fortified Chinese city where the wily chancellor of the Song dynasty plots to have Khan assassinated. Marco Polo has a tendency to fall back repeatedly on the same clichés—Marco finds himself in chains and threatened with execution quite often—but the writing is generally solid, and the visuals are eye-catching. Presenting all 10 episodes from 2015, extras include a documentary on the historical Marco Polo, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and art and costume galleries. Recommended. (F. Swietek)