"Heroes" (Pilot) NBC
posted by JediSheltie @ 12:34 AM
Okay, I admit it, I was hoping to hate this show from the start. Right out of the box, I was going to eviscerate it. Sigh... It's almost disappointing writing this for that reason alone.
I suppose going in with reasonably low expectations worked out well for it. Don't get me wrong, it was not the finest hour of television in history, but it wasn't the worst, and I was pretty satisfied when all was said and done. Not that this review will make it seem that way. In fact, you'll probably think I really did hate it, but hey, we kid the ones we love.
Or at least have a passing, highly conditional appreciation for...
This is how Heroes on NBC begins, with said crawl passing over the screen. Translation: “Welcome to years, upon years, upon years of origin story.” I said I went in with low expectations, right? This didn't do much to buoy them. Honestly, though I recognize backstory as necessary, I'm always one to hope they skip to the spandex ASAP and start swinging. Really, Donner's Superman might be a classic, but if you're not careful, that first hour will bore you to tears.
Fortunately, things only improve from here. I doubt the crawl will be attached to all the episodes, so I won't have to be continually reminded the series is couched in the most boring aspect of all superherodom.
I'd try to give an outline of the plot, but there kind of really isn't any. In fact, the opening crawl was the primary plot revelation of the entire episode, and, as you can see, it's a bit vague. What we have here in this first hour is the introduction to our... well, Heroes. Six of them, in fact, with the promise of more to come. As you might imagine in a show with an ensemble cast and multiple, interwoven stories revolving around each, you weren't allowed to really focus on any one character for any stretch of time. I'm not holding this against the show. It was the first hour... really, what else were they going to do?
Due to the nature of the show, then, caring about the characters becomes a paramount concern. Someone seems to have realized this and actually pulled it off. Our neophyte heroes are a disparate group with a little something for everyone. This is what any “team” comic is really about, after all. Most people come to the table liking one or 2 members of the team, and the rest grow on them. (Although Vixen and Arsenal are going to need to do a hell of a lot of growing for me in the new JLA comic). Heroes appeal will definitely come in the form of the heroes themselves.
Now, let's face facts. Prime time television hasn't been kind, in my humble opinion, to superheroes, especially established ones. Before our host gets the impression I'm about to fly off the handle about another certain piece of television history, (about which we have a long standing disagreement) I'll just say the use of “original” characters works for Heroes. The quotes there are on purpose, naturally. There's a lot of “hero archetypes” here, but then again, I doubt a completely original superhero has come down the pike since Fat Momma from Who Wants to Be A Superhero?
Yes, “originality” doesn't have to be a good thing....
In a lot of cases certain archetypes have been broken down. There's no “Superman”, but there are guys who can fly. There's no “Wolverine”, but there's... Wait, yes, there is one, and it's a hot, blond teenage girl who finds her developing regenerative abilities to be a significant social impediment. No one has stuffed her full of adamantium yet, but, well, someone's thinking of ways to try. (That was a minor “spoiler”, but if you haven't seen the “twist” at the end of the first episode coming a few parsecs away, then, seriously, lay off the weed).
The “clairvoyant” drug addict isn't much to speak of, just the guy who paints about what the heroes will be trying to stop. Something's going to explode, basically. A very large explosion. These are generally bad and in most comic book universes, usually require intervention by super powered individuals to stop. Good thing this show is called Heroes.
There's also the guy who can teleport, a Japanese guy named “Hiro” who is totally into being a superhero. Hiro's scenes are some of the most entertaining, as he certainly represents the childlike wonder that most of us had as kids with superheroes, and some of us still manage to maintain. Granted, I thought Japanese guys named Hiro as a protagonist was “sooOOoo done,” but it occurs to me this trend was mostly confined to games, and thus it just hit the “mainstream.”
Then there's Ali Larter, whose superpower appears to be the ability to perform the most tame live webcam show in history, despite her intrinsic hotness. Unless of course multiple personality disorder has been elevated to the level of superpower... Actually, it seems there's more than one Wolverine in this pack, as Ali's other personality seems to be quite the little murderous hellcat. As such, it stands to reason the alternate personality is far more interesting and probably would put on a much better cam show.
Finally we have “the guy who figures everything out” in the form of an Indian doctor moonlighting as a cab driver while trying reconstruct his dead father's work in the “finding superheroes” field. It remains to be seen if he actually has powers or is just going to serve as “smart guy doctor/tactician.”
Again, this isn't the full lot, just most of them. More are on the way in coming episodes. The teaser for the season seems to indicate that some of the hero's powers will grow. Which, in the case of the flyboys, really needs to happen. Let's face facts, 90 pound weaklings who can fly are still 90 pound weaklings. So far, the only really heavy hitters are our nubile teen friend with the regenerative abilities and Ali, who's other personality may or may not have superpowers.
As they say, heroes are only as good as their rogues gallery, and from the bits we encounter, it looks like we're starting with the standard nefarious shadow conspiracy who wishes to exploit these new found talents. It only remains to be seen whether they're working for the government, a “supervillain” or some combination of the two. I'm willing to toss in the outside chance of repelling an upcoming alien invasion, too. But I think they're doing that on The 4400, and if they are, then toss that idea.
Despite the lack of plot or any expressly overt villainy, I've found myself willing to hop on board for the ride. The characters, though a bit shallow at the moment, show some promise. It's hard to knock the first outing of a 1 hour show for not fully developing a cast of at least 6 main characters. This is a serialized drama, it's all about the long haul. As it stands, we get the basics of each character, teases of their powers, and a smattering of supporting characters. I'm sure the villains, whomever they may be, will be showing up sooner or later, perhaps even with a legitimate reason for existing.
I do feel compelled to point out one last thing. Sadly, unless there's going to be some kind of “equal treatment” in the future, the series has “taken sides.” It wasn't just a casual “Spiderman” reference, either. No, Hiro virtually quotes chapter and verse from old X-Men comic and mentions Kitty Pryde by name. Kitty (God, I really wish I could curse here) Pryde. I swear man, if someone doesn't mention “Karen Starr” in the future, I'm going to deduct points purely due to my sworn duty as a DC fanboy.
Related Film Frontier articles:
Review: Justice League of America #1
I suppose going in with reasonably low expectations worked out well for it. Don't get me wrong, it was not the finest hour of television in history, but it wasn't the worst, and I was pretty satisfied when all was said and done. Not that this review will make it seem that way. In fact, you'll probably think I really did hate it, but hey, we kid the ones we love.
Or at least have a passing, highly conditional appreciation for...
“In recent days, a seemingly random group of individuals has emerged with what can only be described as “special” abilities.
Although unaware of it now, these individuals will not only save the world, but change it forever. This transformation from ordinary to extraordinary will not occur overnight. Every story has a beginning.
Volume One of their epic tale begins here...”
Fortunately, things only improve from here. I doubt the crawl will be attached to all the episodes, so I won't have to be continually reminded the series is couched in the most boring aspect of all superherodom.
I'd try to give an outline of the plot, but there kind of really isn't any. In fact, the opening crawl was the primary plot revelation of the entire episode, and, as you can see, it's a bit vague. What we have here in this first hour is the introduction to our... well, Heroes. Six of them, in fact, with the promise of more to come. As you might imagine in a show with an ensemble cast and multiple, interwoven stories revolving around each, you weren't allowed to really focus on any one character for any stretch of time. I'm not holding this against the show. It was the first hour... really, what else were they going to do?
Due to the nature of the show, then, caring about the characters becomes a paramount concern. Someone seems to have realized this and actually pulled it off. Our neophyte heroes are a disparate group with a little something for everyone. This is what any “team” comic is really about, after all. Most people come to the table liking one or 2 members of the team, and the rest grow on them. (Although Vixen and Arsenal are going to need to do a hell of a lot of growing for me in the new JLA comic). Heroes appeal will definitely come in the form of the heroes themselves.
Now, let's face facts. Prime time television hasn't been kind, in my humble opinion, to superheroes, especially established ones. Before our host gets the impression I'm about to fly off the handle about another certain piece of television history, (about which we have a long standing disagreement) I'll just say the use of “original” characters works for Heroes. The quotes there are on purpose, naturally. There's a lot of “hero archetypes” here, but then again, I doubt a completely original superhero has come down the pike since Fat Momma from Who Wants to Be A Superhero?
Yes, “originality” doesn't have to be a good thing....
In a lot of cases certain archetypes have been broken down. There's no “Superman”, but there are guys who can fly. There's no “Wolverine”, but there's... Wait, yes, there is one, and it's a hot, blond teenage girl who finds her developing regenerative abilities to be a significant social impediment. No one has stuffed her full of adamantium yet, but, well, someone's thinking of ways to try. (That was a minor “spoiler”, but if you haven't seen the “twist” at the end of the first episode coming a few parsecs away, then, seriously, lay off the weed).
The “clairvoyant” drug addict isn't much to speak of, just the guy who paints about what the heroes will be trying to stop. Something's going to explode, basically. A very large explosion. These are generally bad and in most comic book universes, usually require intervention by super powered individuals to stop. Good thing this show is called Heroes.
There's also the guy who can teleport, a Japanese guy named “Hiro” who is totally into being a superhero. Hiro's scenes are some of the most entertaining, as he certainly represents the childlike wonder that most of us had as kids with superheroes, and some of us still manage to maintain. Granted, I thought Japanese guys named Hiro as a protagonist was “sooOOoo done,” but it occurs to me this trend was mostly confined to games, and thus it just hit the “mainstream.”
Then there's Ali Larter, whose superpower appears to be the ability to perform the most tame live webcam show in history, despite her intrinsic hotness. Unless of course multiple personality disorder has been elevated to the level of superpower... Actually, it seems there's more than one Wolverine in this pack, as Ali's other personality seems to be quite the little murderous hellcat. As such, it stands to reason the alternate personality is far more interesting and probably would put on a much better cam show.
Finally we have “the guy who figures everything out” in the form of an Indian doctor moonlighting as a cab driver while trying reconstruct his dead father's work in the “finding superheroes” field. It remains to be seen if he actually has powers or is just going to serve as “smart guy doctor/tactician.”
Again, this isn't the full lot, just most of them. More are on the way in coming episodes. The teaser for the season seems to indicate that some of the hero's powers will grow. Which, in the case of the flyboys, really needs to happen. Let's face facts, 90 pound weaklings who can fly are still 90 pound weaklings. So far, the only really heavy hitters are our nubile teen friend with the regenerative abilities and Ali, who's other personality may or may not have superpowers.
As they say, heroes are only as good as their rogues gallery, and from the bits we encounter, it looks like we're starting with the standard nefarious shadow conspiracy who wishes to exploit these new found talents. It only remains to be seen whether they're working for the government, a “supervillain” or some combination of the two. I'm willing to toss in the outside chance of repelling an upcoming alien invasion, too. But I think they're doing that on The 4400, and if they are, then toss that idea.
Despite the lack of plot or any expressly overt villainy, I've found myself willing to hop on board for the ride. The characters, though a bit shallow at the moment, show some promise. It's hard to knock the first outing of a 1 hour show for not fully developing a cast of at least 6 main characters. This is a serialized drama, it's all about the long haul. As it stands, we get the basics of each character, teases of their powers, and a smattering of supporting characters. I'm sure the villains, whomever they may be, will be showing up sooner or later, perhaps even with a legitimate reason for existing.
I do feel compelled to point out one last thing. Sadly, unless there's going to be some kind of “equal treatment” in the future, the series has “taken sides.” It wasn't just a casual “Spiderman” reference, either. No, Hiro virtually quotes chapter and verse from old X-Men comic and mentions Kitty Pryde by name. Kitty (God, I really wish I could curse here) Pryde. I swear man, if someone doesn't mention “Karen Starr” in the future, I'm going to deduct points purely due to my sworn duty as a DC fanboy.
Related Film Frontier articles:
Review: Justice League of America #1
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