Review: Hammer and Bolter “Monsters”

There is one bright side in the month long break we get in between batches of The Interrogator episodes, and that’s a new episode of Hammer and Bolter. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a certain flair that the aesthetic has when I’m watching the film noir ambiance that The Interrogator manages to pull off almost flawlessly. However, Hammer and Bolter manages to create a distinguished line between the grim dark future of Warhammer 40K, and the mix of high fantasy/steampunk/horror feeling of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.

This line only continues to flourish with the latest episode, “Monster.” The animation still impresses, even with the band of Darkoath warriors who are suffering in the peaks of Attramor. One thing that impresses from show to show is the grizzly detail that goes into each singular death, or big attack. This was something I first noticed in The Interrogator, but it seems to be a trend in all of Warhammer TV’s shows.

For instance, three captured people tried to escape this band of warriors. One got an arrow shot through the back of his head. Another took a club to the side of his head, turning his mouth into an exploding pack of Chicklet gum. The blood and teeth went into more detail than you normally see. Even more so, the holy man of the group took a knife to the throat and turned into a visceral blood fountain. No wonder why this is rated MA-15.

One thing that blows my mind is the atmosphere. Again, just like with The Interrogator, the atmosphere is just impressive in a much different way. The colors in “Monsters” pop. The snow effects in the beginning pop. The fires in the distance burn bright. The embers that fly up during the recon scenes look almost real. Even the glow on the monster at the end of the episode have a hue and glow that is just impressive.

This holy war that the city people are waging show great persecution on the Darkoath. Between losing tribesmen, and getting pushed from their homes, you knew that a battle was about to erupt. I was absolutely surprised by the sacrifice Jorvak performed. It came out that Jorvak was killing his own people for power from a god. It shows the dark side to every single religion and belief. His beliefs and ways showed that the city people were right to an extent. However, as the tribe comes to grips with what happened, it shows that no one is above redemption. And that’s where the Darkoath tribe leaves the episode.

Ultimately, “Monsters” is a great one off episode just like the others in Hammer and Bolter. There was a lot going on, and we were able to take a deep dive into the more obscure parts of the Age of Sigmar world. Just like with the other shows, Hammer and Bolter delivered again with “Monsters”.