Marco Polo – Netflix’s Underrated Gem

Introduction

Netflix’s ‘Marco Polo’, as the name suggests. is a drama series based on the famous Venetian traveler who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295 and his early years in the court of Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Yuan Dynasty. The show made its debut on netflix in December 2014, it was renewed for a second season the following year but the show was cancelled by Netflix following generally mixed critical reception.

Story

The series was created by John Fusco and stars Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy as the titular character and the magnificent Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan, in a performance which was widely praised. Season 1 follows Marco’s Journey from a young but naive boy to a loyal servant and friend of the Khan, assisting him in the working of his empire and even saving his life. Season 2 expands on this by following on stories about The Khan’s heirs and the looming threat to his grand Khanate.

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Review

Marco Polo certainly has its flaws like pacing and even in many aspects Kublai Khan takes the spotlight instead of the titular character due to better writing and an amazing performance from Wong. Many of the story details are exaggerated in respect to historical context and some is outright fiction but one can hardly expect it to be historically accurate as it is not a documentary. The show’s strength’s are its production values which is easily amongst the best in Netflix. The show is shot in a gorgeous location like the steppes of Kazakhstan, which substitute for Mongolia and China. The costume and set designs are beautiful and the battles & action sequences are well choreographed.