Sam Worthington has carved a career from the ashes of Avatar against the odds. I Will Find You is another example of this almost A-lister looking to Netflix and Harlan Corben to continue that journey. Corben might be a best-selling author of some renown, but this latest offering from the streaming giant is pure cookie-cutter melodrama. A missing child, an incarcerated father, and the discovery of new evidence that proves his innocence.
The best thing about I Will Find You is that audiences can take it easy. There is nothing complex about this story, and the episodes fly by in quick succession without attempting anything original. Easy is a word worth coming back to when describing this series, because even with Britt Lower from the superior Severance in attendance, I Will Find You is background noise at best.
This is a show designed to dip in without feeling anything has been lost from ducking out to make a drink. Sam Worthington does an admirable job as the wrongly accused father David, while Lower aids and abets from the sidelines as Rachel. Supporting players include the veteran Milo Ventimiglia, who has been in everything from The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel through to Creed II, means that dramatically everything is in place.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
The cast of I Will Find You was never the problem, and honestly, there is not much wrong even when audiences dig deeper. All the pieces of a missing person melodrama are here, and there is enough angst between all concerned to convince the most cynical audience. Where this adaptation comes apart is in how polished, poised, and predictable everything feels.
With a track record that includes Gossip Girl, Gotham, and Pennyworth on his resume Robert Hull ticks all the boxes on paper. There is a degree of suspense baked into the narrative of this piece, but much is lost because this is nothing new. For starters, someone who has been in prison 5 years when audiences first meet them should never look that healthy.
There is none of the concern carved into the furrows of that deeply tanned complexion, and no hint of threat to him personally. Characters suggest that he is in mortal danger following some signposted set pieces, but at no point does it feel like David might be. Pedestrian in parts, but no less watchable for it, it is the fact that if I Will Find You never does anything distinctive with those component parts.
As an example of easy on the audience Netflix adaptations Harlan Corben has it sewn up since this is just the next in a long line of his stories on the platform. Sam Worthington and Britt Lower might deliver some solid performances, but their presence is superfluous which is a huge shame. With an avid fanbase of diehard devotees who were only ever there for the author anyway, more of the same is a foregone conclusion.
I Will Find You is streaming on Netflix now.