Tagged : review

in Reviews, Revolution

‘Revolution’ Is Solidly-Written – Pilot Review from Screen Spy

Check out Jennifer Griffin’s pilot review of ‘Revolution’ from ScreenSpy.com:

Overall, Revolution is an action-packed adventure which shows a lot of promise. The pilot is reminiscent of some classic TV and movies without falling into the trap of being derivative, and there are several surprises in the final moments that have the ability to take the story in several new directions over episodes to come.

There is the concern that as a futuristic dystopia, the show will need to continue to impress visually (weeds and rubble will only take an audience so far, after all). Additionally, we’re far from knowing what caused the blackout, or even why the show is called Revolution, but the solidly-written and easily identifiable characters, delightful future-world elements and galloping action sequences provide enough entertainment and distraction for us not to really care too much at this point.

in Reviews, Revolution

‘Revolution’ Comic Con Review: A Future Without Technology?

NBC Revolution Promo Preview 1x01 086 300x165 Revolution Comic Con Review: A Future Without Technology?Time for a Revolution at Comic-Con 2012! When J. J. Abrams brings you a new television series, you know it’s going to raise and try to answer an interesting premise. What happens when a plane crashes on a mysterious island? What if prisoners from the 1960′s mysterious vanish and reappear in 2012? Or, in this case, what happens when the power goes out completely in the 21st century?

That’s exactly what happens in Revolution, an upcoming NBC show which screened at Comic-Con this year. It’s been 15 years since the Blackout, the night when the world’s advanced technology stops working, and while humanity has survived by reverting to the pioneer days, America is a very different place…that looks a lot like the screenshots from The Last Of Us. Anyway, people ride horses everywhere. They depend on archery to hunt and protect themselves. Running water is nonexistent. Oh, and the country is run (and terrorized) by General Monroe’s militia, complete with horses and wagons. Really.

But I totally bought it! Especially when the Matheson family is torn apart after the militia come after their father, Ben, for unknown reasons. Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), his daughter, must track down her uncle Miles (Billy Burke) to find out what happened, rescue her brother, Danny (Graham Rogers) and perhaps solve the mystery of why modern day technology stopped working.

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in Reviews, Revolution, Spoilers

TheFutonCritic Are Fans of “Revolution”

A quick summary of The Futon Critic’s review of “Revolution‘s” pilot episode:

What works: There’s a lot of potentially fun concepts at work at there – from how swordfighting has become the de facto means of settling disputes to how young people have no concept of how life was with electricity – all wrapped in some genuinely stunning visuals of post-apocalyptic Chicago. It’s a lush, beautiful show and one of the splashiest things you’ll see on TV next season, all done in an ambitious spirit you can’t help but root for. From a character standpoint, Burke’s Miles and Esposito’s Neville not surprisingly leave the biggest impressions as the former has a fun Han Solo-esque affability while the latter effortlessly radiates Southern gentile menace. It’s a shame then they never meet as “Revolution” plays like three mini-movies – the prologue showing the blackout, life in the village and the journey to find Miles – all with their own distinct dynamics.

What doesn’t: In theory that’s a good thing – we don’t know what’s coming next – and yet it’s almost disjointed to the point we don’t really get to invest ourselves in what’s going on (especially in its big reveals, which hinge on things from its previous iterations). Episode two then will presumably open up with a fourth set of dynamics, again resetting the show. As usual however the real challenge for a series like this is its incessant use of pronouns for things yet to be explained (oh the word “it,” how you punish us) not to mention the general big bet that physics itself can be turned upside down like this without even more dire consequences to nature itself. (That and Wrigley Field is adorned with a “2012 World Series Champions” banner.) Still, “Revolution” should get an inordinate amount of credit for at least trying to set up such a world and proceeding to ask how humanity would respond to it.

The bottom line:It will probably frustrate you at times, but darn if it isn’t a swing for the fences.

Source: TheFutonCritic.com

 

in News, Reviews, Revolution, Spoilers

Fall TV First Impression: Talkin’ ‘Bout Revolution

TvLine.com reviews NBC’s Revolution.  With not many spoilers or reveals from their “impression,” it looks like Revolution gets the typical “I’ll watch it for a couple weeks” review from the folks of TvLine.

NBC Revolution Promo Preview 1x01 093 300x165 Fall TV First Impression: Talkin Bout RevolutionTHE FIRST IMPRESSION | Revolving as it does around a band of survivors traversing a powered-down, grungy world pocked with pockets of sordid strangers, Revolution evokes The Walking Dead (and in at least one sequence happens to use a distinct location from the AMC drama’s most recent finale). The mystery of “How did this possibly happen?!” also mirrors TWD (as well as FlashForward), while the technological improbability of it all reminded me of the Machine in Abrams’ Person of Interest — meaning it’s something you need to just “accept” as you buy into the premise. (You’ll also need to accept that the Cubs win the World Series in 2012, unless that visual nod gets scrubbed out in the final edit.)

Among the performances, Burke, who has always been excellent in guest star roles, is poised to finally take a lead, provided Miles can be roused from his Han Solo-like reluctant hero slumber, while Esposito, so, so good on Bad, hits a perfect blend of officious and menacing. Spiridakos has her work cut out for her as the driver of the early narrative (and on more than one occasion had me visually mistaking her for Vampire Diaries alum Kayla Ewell). But of course the big question is how Lost fave Mitchell might amp things up in Mama Matheson’s to-be-reshot scenes — especially since, I hear, a key moment from the pilot is also being re-edited.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE | The Revolution pilot, as with every J.J. Abrams project, has promise, but this is one of those instances where you really need to see what Weeks 2 and 3 look like, after all the heavy, exposition-laden lifting is done — and especially in the wake of two provocative twists uncorked in the final scenes. I’m certainly curious to see where it goes, but the more relevant question is whether it’ll be enough to pry people away from the always-buzzy Castle and always-formidable Five-0. Lord knows, Mondays-at-10 has been a tough time slot for NBC to crack.

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in Articles, Reviews, Revolution

Hollywood Reporter Tells Us 5 Things About “Revolution”

Part post-apocalyptic thriller, part road movie, the latest project from Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and executive producer J.J. Abrams is one of the network’s most-talked about debuts for the fall season. The Hollywood Reporter caught the pilot ahead of its September premiere, so to maintain the breakneck speed of our Fall Preview 2012, here are five things to know about the dystopian drama.

1. It’s a version of the world we live in. The pilot actually kicks off in modern-day Chicago just as all of the world’s televisions, cars, freezers, light bulbs, phones and — gasp! — even iPads simultaneously flicker and turn off. While there’s no attempt to explain the globe’s sudden rejection of physics, even when events quickly move forward to 15 years after the great blackout, it is hinted that some have information that they aren’t sharing with others.

Nbc Revolution Episode Still Pilot Promo 002 300x213 Hollywood Reporter Tells Us 5 Things About Revolution

2. Listen up, Twilight fans. There may not be any vampires or werewolves in Revolution, but it does count franchise star Billy Burke (aka Forks police chief Charlie Swan) as its lead actor. Burke is joined by frequent Good Wife guest Tim Guinee, Breaking Bad creep Giancarlo Esposito, David Lyons (The Cape), Andrea Roth (Rescue Me), Tracy Spiridakos (Being Human), Anna Lise Phillips and a slew of others.

3. Don’t get attached to anyone on that roll call. Revolution doles out causalities early in the pilot, and the series seems prepared dispatch most of the primary players without much hesitation. And aside for notable deaths, there’s also just a good deal of carnage. Fight sequences and often gruesome demises take up a solid 10 or 15 percent of the first episode.

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Revolution Pilot Review (TV Review by the Schmoes)

Revolution is getting a lot of early reviews from those who got the screener through mail.  Schmoes gives us the positive and negatives on the show through their YouTube channel.  Let’s hope the show proves them wrong after they watch the second episode.

This is our first official TV Tuesday. For the next few months, we will be reviewing the various pilots for the upcoming Fall season. This week we begin with the much anticipated show from JJ Abrams The show is about the world after all the power goes out. Governments are formed, militias run rampant and it the pilot is directed by Jon Faverau. Sounds like it can be fun….let’s hear what the Schmoe have to say about it!