cherchez la femme...
Oct. 29th, 2010 12:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jencatOne thing I'd never have predicted... the CW's ridiculously overhyped 'reimagining' of Nikita is actually really rather good. Shocking, I know.
It shouldn't work. Really, given that I've loved the original film, the last tv series and, yep, even the Bridget Fonda version many many moons ago... this one shouldn't work.
And sure, it's not perfect - the plots are just the wrong side of doolally, it's got a serious weakness for overwrought sentimentality and the dialogue won't be winning any awards.
But... it won me over pretty much by episode two, even after I spent most of the pilot scoffing at how it was derivative and a weak rip-off of the various predecessors - right up until that rather nifty twist at the end.
Add in a judicious use of flashbacks, a leading double act of two seriously messed-up women who get to be actual reformed junkies/murderers this time instead of being 'framed', some nice twisty-turny character stuff and a wicked cool stunt team, and it's fairly substantial stuff, surprisingly enough. Nikita does just spend all her time strategically screwing up everything Section are involved with, but at least she's pretty imaginative about it. The relationship between her and Alex, once the flashbacks kicked in, is also interesting - we get told tidbits about Alex's past, and you have to appreciate the lack of pulling punches in what really apparently happened to her, because most shows would try diluting that a tad.
Just to address the stuff that was really bugging me to begin with, Maggie Q is spending much less time wandering around in skimpy outfits/underwear - gawd knows, Lindsey Fonseca actually spends most of the time in a baggy tracksuit, which is different. Although, tonight's outfit du jour was an electronically-locked heart-rate controlled sleek charcoal straitjacket, which was fun.
The plots aren't fantastic, but somehow the character stuff is propping everything up nicely - oh hell, who isn't a sucker for the Michael/Nikita ship in one form or another. Mostly this is translating to them not shooting each other when they really should be shooting each other (except for the pilot, of course), and having some truly fabulous skirmishes - Shane West's stunt dude absolutely rocks. So many shows I watch have random fight scenes, that it takes quite a lot to make my brain actually pay attention - and I always pay attention when he starts kicking arse.
The trouble, of course, is that this version of Michael is... well, much as I love Shane West, he's not Roy Dupois. Or Tcheky Karyo, or even, hell, Gabriel Byrne. He lacks presence, a little, although gawd knows, he's really trying. This is a version without the sneers, and a lot less cold and in control... it could work. It did help to have a '6 years ago' flashback this ep, back to our old familiar Michael/Nikita dynamic (Maggie Q suddenly went all fluffy and girly with that wig, it was cute and highly entertaining).
Oh well... we'll see. It's been such a pleasant surprise, after not having really loved the pilot at ComicCon, that I really do want to keep watching. It's actually being different, and heading somewhere remotely unpredictable right now, and that in itself is so incredible rare right now... fingers crossed, anyhoo!
It shouldn't work. Really, given that I've loved the original film, the last tv series and, yep, even the Bridget Fonda version many many moons ago... this one shouldn't work.
And sure, it's not perfect - the plots are just the wrong side of doolally, it's got a serious weakness for overwrought sentimentality and the dialogue won't be winning any awards.
But... it won me over pretty much by episode two, even after I spent most of the pilot scoffing at how it was derivative and a weak rip-off of the various predecessors - right up until that rather nifty twist at the end.
Add in a judicious use of flashbacks, a leading double act of two seriously messed-up women who get to be actual reformed junkies/murderers this time instead of being 'framed', some nice twisty-turny character stuff and a wicked cool stunt team, and it's fairly substantial stuff, surprisingly enough. Nikita does just spend all her time strategically screwing up everything Section are involved with, but at least she's pretty imaginative about it. The relationship between her and Alex, once the flashbacks kicked in, is also interesting - we get told tidbits about Alex's past, and you have to appreciate the lack of pulling punches in what really apparently happened to her, because most shows would try diluting that a tad.
Just to address the stuff that was really bugging me to begin with, Maggie Q is spending much less time wandering around in skimpy outfits/underwear - gawd knows, Lindsey Fonseca actually spends most of the time in a baggy tracksuit, which is different. Although, tonight's outfit du jour was an electronically-locked heart-rate controlled sleek charcoal straitjacket, which was fun.
The plots aren't fantastic, but somehow the character stuff is propping everything up nicely - oh hell, who isn't a sucker for the Michael/Nikita ship in one form or another. Mostly this is translating to them not shooting each other when they really should be shooting each other (except for the pilot, of course), and having some truly fabulous skirmishes - Shane West's stunt dude absolutely rocks. So many shows I watch have random fight scenes, that it takes quite a lot to make my brain actually pay attention - and I always pay attention when he starts kicking arse.
The trouble, of course, is that this version of Michael is... well, much as I love Shane West, he's not Roy Dupois. Or Tcheky Karyo, or even, hell, Gabriel Byrne. He lacks presence, a little, although gawd knows, he's really trying. This is a version without the sneers, and a lot less cold and in control... it could work. It did help to have a '6 years ago' flashback this ep, back to our old familiar Michael/Nikita dynamic (Maggie Q suddenly went all fluffy and girly with that wig, it was cute and highly entertaining).
Oh well... we'll see. It's been such a pleasant surprise, after not having really loved the pilot at ComicCon, that I really do want to keep watching. It's actually being different, and heading somewhere remotely unpredictable right now, and that in itself is so incredible rare right now... fingers crossed, anyhoo!
