With The Pentaverate, Mike Myers shows he's stuck in the past -- unlike many other SNL alums

Salon.com

"To anyone paying attention to the happenings in the overall SNL graduate universe, Myers' return to the classic comfort of rubber masks and spirit gum feels like less of a matter of 'Where has he been?' than 'Does he realize what year it is?'" Melanie McFarland says of Myers' new Netflix comedy. "Not every SNL actor goes on to greatness, but the ones who enjoy some career longevity display a willingness to stretch beyond the physical slapstick that enabled them to seize the spotlight and Lorne Michael's favor." Some, like Seth Meyers, have found success by remaining in their wheelhouse, says McFarland, while "others remain a such outsized presence in popular culture that we don't need to explain why. We simply have to drop their names: Tina Fey. Amy Poehler. Kristen Wiig. Maya Rudolph." Bill Hader and Adam Sandler, meanwhile, have proven they could be dramatic actors. "I cite these examples to drive the point home that while these folks established themselves as comedy forces who can act, Myers never fully escaped the prosthetics and parody closet he constructed for himself," says McFarland. "Perhaps that's on purpose." She adds: "Regardless of this, it is a very strange move for an artist who's been out of the spotlight for so long to return with a throwback engine fueled by a nostalgia for his career's highlights." ALSO: The Pentaverate isn't even a fun hate-watch: "There’s no thrill, no humor, and no life to The Pentaverate."