So Joss Whedon’s new show was disappointingly underwhelming – much weaker pilot than his previous series, it feels like he’s dialing it in (if even creatively involved at all). The story was all over the place and didn’t make sense, but most egregious, the characters were one dimensional and non-descript – what happened to the Scooby Gang, the dialog, the repartee? It also felt like you had to be deeply into the written comics – e.g. what’s so special or important about Agent Coulson, anyway – wasn’t he just a redshirt who Whedon killed off in one of the movies? And who cares about all this coy mention of Melinda May and other Marvel characters no one’s ever heard of? Meh … At least it was better than most recent superhero shows (e.g. Arrow, The Cape), but that’s not saying much. Perhaps it’ll get better from here? …
Tag Archives: Lost
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013- TV series by Joss Whedon): feels like Joss is dialing it in
Man of Steel (2013, dir. Zack Snyder): disappointing product which doesn’t live up to its brilliant marketing
I can imagine the conversation Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight Trilogy) had with the studio execs:
Execs: We’d really like to reboot Superman the same way you did Batman. Like for example a dark, gritty, realistic take on Richard Donner’s classic Superman 1 and 2 from the 1970s. Can you do it?
Nolan: How droll; been there done that. But can I recommend my mate Zack Snyder (300), he’s not as good (if I do say so myself) but he’s looking for a gig
Execs: OK, but can you at least take a producer credit? We’ll pay you a gazillion?
Nolan: Sure, why not?
Lost (2004-2010 TV series, by JJ Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof) – a grand unified plot theory?
I know we’re 2 years behind, but we finally watched all 90-100 hours of LOST and I can now offer up this ‘grand unified theory’ to explain the 6-season story. (It’s high-concept modern myth-making; the only other recent show to have done this well is BSG.)
Synopsis: 2,000 years ago, Jacob unwittingly unleashes the Devil (‘Smokey’) upon the Island, which is the physical manifestation of Hell on earth. While Smokey seeks to escape the Island and wreak havoc upon the world, Jacob’s plan is to bring a series of ‘half-damned souls’ to the Island in the hope that they can redeem themselves and each other to somehow defeat Smokey. Even though Smokey finds a way to murder Jacob, his final set of ‘candidates’ – the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 – eventually discover their purpose and succeed at their task at great self-sacrificial cost, and are rewarded by reuniting as eternal friends in the after-life
Terra Nova (2011 TV series): mindless, big-budget fun for the family
Steven Spielberg’s latest TV show is a big-budget cross between Jurassic Park (dinosaurs and action adventure), Lost (wilderness survival, mysteries, long story arc) and a typical family drama (pick any, like Brothers & Sisters). It mostly delivers as a family action adventure show, and is quite watchable, but falls short of greatness. When watching, I’ve mostly been thinking, “gee, they should adapt Julian May’s Saga of Pliocene Exile, that would make a brilliant TV or film series.”
Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 2 (2011, dir. David Yates): among the superior HP films, themselves better than the books, but that’s a low bar
The fanboys (and girls) will likely be satisfied, and those others of us who trudged through the rest of the movies will find it a more entertaining and quicker-paced conclusion (certainly compared with the insufferably slow Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), and the interminably boring Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)). Things come to an end, but because I didn’t much care about the characters, it really wasn’t very dramatic or triumphant or even sad. Truth be told, I did feel a twinge of regret that the vast resources of money and filmic talent could not have been put toward adapting more worthy material!
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