Armed with a limited knowledge of Bollywood including a small segment of Shah Rukh Khan movies and the exceptionally fun Koi… Mil Gaya franchise, I was anxious for a musical version of one of my favorite TV shows. Comic adaptation The Archies arrives on the heels of CW’s Riverdale series coming to a close after six seasons. By now, general audiences are at the very least familiar with Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica; co-writer/director/producer Zoya Akhtar leans into the character archetypes and the whimsical nature of the comics. This iteration of the town with pep shifts the setting to a quaint spot tucked behind the hills of North India, still named Riverdale. The Archies has charm and catchy tunes to spare, reveling in its sickly-sweet take on a classic Archie Comic story.
In prime 1960s, free from cell phones and the Internet, Riverdale is about to be rocked by a serious threat to the status quo. Bigtime developer and generally awful person Hiram Lodge wants to take over everything, starting with opening a proposed Hotel Riverdale that will replace Green Park. The significance of the site means more to the townsfolk than it does to Hiram—every new citizen plants a tree there, and as Green Park thrives, so too does Riverdale. Standing in Hiram’s way are our lovable teens: Archie Andrews (Agastya Nanda), Betty Cooper (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica Lodge (Suhana Khan), Ethel Muggs (Dot.), Jughead Jones (Mihir Ahuja), Reggie Mantle (Vedang Raina), and Dilton Doiley (Yubraj Menda).
These characters are similar to their Riverdale counterparts, though definitely not a 1:1 comparison. On the one hand, Reggie gets a sizable arc about “social responsibility,” a far cry from his depiction elsewhere. Oafish Archie pines after every girl that comes his way, and leads his own band, The Archies, with deep-seated musician prospects. Veronica, still the rich daughter of Hiram Lodge, desperately tries to get out from under his shadow. Jughead sports an S for “sandwich” shirt, Veronica refers to Archie as “Archiekins,” and Betty longs for Archie as a love triangle swirls. They all frequent Pop Tate’s Cafe, until the threat of Hiram looms. Much of this feels very season-one Riverdale, minus the murder and plus a whole lot of inspired, over-the-top musical numbers.
The music fleshes out the film immeasurably—even a silly aside about how “everything is politics” earworms its way deeply into one’s brain. The contagious nature of these elaborate music video-style scenes make the stumbles more forgivable, including a couple of the film’s actors being a little less seasoned. A mixing in of English both lyrically and through dialogue is an interesting choice, but one that also makes recommending to watch in Hindi rather than dubbed English even easier.
Perhaps a sequel could be on the horizon if this entry is successful. The Archies certainly will gift younger fans exactly the kind of young adult vibes they may be craving. Interesting ideas are mildly explored, including that of corporate structure vs. engagement and betterment, and the prioritization and pride in a hometown. Moreover, The Archies scratched that Riverdale itch I have been craving to revisit since the series ended. A musical extravaganza with its heart in the right place, The Archies feels destined to be a major imported hit for Netflix.
Bollywood opens the gates of Riverdale for The Archies, exclusively streaming on Thursday, December 7th.
