.
Big explosion, big wave, big sound, homage paid in montage, homage paid in the garage, Quonset huts, hot chick in bikini #1, hot chick in bikini#2, head shot through a car window, cue Grace Park, cool surfer stuff, more Grace Park, hot surfer chick decks guy on beach habalahabala this thing kicked so much ass I am not even sure I can write about it.
Okay now that I have that out of my system, Grace Park is smokin’, whoops one more slipped out. Okay now maybe I can concentrate and hack this baby out.
I just got through watching the debut of the Hawaii Five-O remake and I am really excited about a television show for the first time in a long time. This show is going to be my favorite of the season. There’s no doubt about it. Jethro and Ziva are cool, but Steve, Danno and Kona might even be more so. From the beginning of the show I was not let down for one instant.
I was so afraid that the show would intentionally try to distance itself from the roots and origins established by the 1968 show that it in essence it would not even be the same show. Fortunately I was wrong. The opening montage of the original series, which I spoke about in an earlier posting, is very tastefully recreated in a way that pays true homage yet does not possess even the faintest hint of camp. I honestly feel that the producers of this version are paying a genuinely deserved homage to the original series in both the opening montage, theme song and the film work done by the second unit. True fans of the original series will recognize the old Lincoln which belonged to Steve’s Dad as the same make and model that was used in the original series. Again, another very tasteful tribute to the original, I really enjoyed and appreciated that move.
Just like its predecessor, this show chooses to show the not so glamorous portions of Hawaii when the team goes in search of their suspects. Tin roof shacks and Quonset huts along with junked out cars decorate the mean streets of Honolulu where Steve and Danno go in and kick some ass while running down clues and looking for suspects.
This version has more action in that Steve is more of a scrapper and shooter than when Jack Lord played the character but I can live with that. Lord portrayed the role as a calm and collective guy who used his brains more than his fists but could also bring it when necessary. In this iteration, McGarrett is played by Alex O’ Laughlin while Danno is played by Scott Caan, the son of James Caan. We have Daniel Dae Kim, formerly Jen of LOST fame, rounding out the cast along with Grace Park who co-starred with Benjamin Bratt in A&E's "The Cleaner."
Okay now that I have that out of my system, Grace Park is smokin’, whoops one more slipped out. Okay now maybe I can concentrate and hack this baby out.
I just got through watching the debut of the Hawaii Five-O remake and I am really excited about a television show for the first time in a long time. This show is going to be my favorite of the season. There’s no doubt about it. Jethro and Ziva are cool, but Steve, Danno and Kona might even be more so. From the beginning of the show I was not let down for one instant.
I was so afraid that the show would intentionally try to distance itself from the roots and origins established by the 1968 show that it in essence it would not even be the same show. Fortunately I was wrong. The opening montage of the original series, which I spoke about in an earlier posting, is very tastefully recreated in a way that pays true homage yet does not possess even the faintest hint of camp. I honestly feel that the producers of this version are paying a genuinely deserved homage to the original series in both the opening montage, theme song and the film work done by the second unit. True fans of the original series will recognize the old Lincoln which belonged to Steve’s Dad as the same make and model that was used in the original series. Again, another very tasteful tribute to the original, I really enjoyed and appreciated that move.
Just like its predecessor, this show chooses to show the not so glamorous portions of Hawaii when the team goes in search of their suspects. Tin roof shacks and Quonset huts along with junked out cars decorate the mean streets of Honolulu where Steve and Danno go in and kick some ass while running down clues and looking for suspects.
This version has more action in that Steve is more of a scrapper and shooter than when Jack Lord played the character but I can live with that. Lord portrayed the role as a calm and collective guy who used his brains more than his fists but could also bring it when necessary. In this iteration, McGarrett is played by Alex O’ Laughlin while Danno is played by Scott Caan, the son of James Caan. We have Daniel Dae Kim, formerly Jen of LOST fame, rounding out the cast along with Grace Park who co-starred with Benjamin Bratt in A&E's "The Cleaner."
The show does a wonderful job in giving us the background info on both Danny and Steve. I know in the original show Steve was a former Naval Officer and the same holds true in this version as well. I have to admit ignorance as to the back ground of Danny “Danno” Williams until I looked it up on IMDB. In the original Danny was Hawaiian born and bred, but in the newer version he is a transplant from Jersey or somewhere back East. The bond that Danny and Steve instantly form is born out of mutual respect which they quickly see in one another. I really like the chemistry that we see in this relationship and I know that it will be an integral part of the storyline as more and more episodes air. They quickly meld with Kono (Grace Park) and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and the beginnings of a cohesive team are instantly in place.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see the beginning of what I am certain to be a long term “back story” or B arc as I have sometimes heard it described. I don’t want to give away any of the plot from the pilot, but if anyone is familiar with the original series is looks as though a Wo Fat inspired character might be lurking about behind the scenes in this version as well.
The show has a lot of appeal and I really hope it sticks around for a while. The sad thing is, whenever I really like a show that seems to equate to the kiss of death and it usually gets the axe long before its time. I really hope that this one can stick around long enough to evolve to its full potential. Even though I’ve only seen one episode, I think this show has the ability to be a success as long as they avoid jumping the shark and keep the successful formula as is. Oh wow, I just realized that it was actually in Hawaii where the jumping of the shark originated. Let’s hope that the sharks have gone and only the hot surfer chicks will churn the waters of Waikiki.
And no… I still won’t type it!
I almost forgot, now that you've read the crap I hack out, treat yourself to a really great site with a lot of insight from a guy who knows TV and writes far better than I. Check out the following link and see what you think.
Craig Sanger's TV Den
2 comments:
Great googly moogly! New shows or ones returning, it's going to be tough to get much much better than this premiere. From the cold opening to the opening theme to the introduction of the cast, this thing just blasted right along. Hit all the right nostalgic buttons and updated smartly at the same time. And yeah, I saw the Wo Fat connection, too. I don't think you need to worry, Bob, this show has hit written all over it. Man, that was some fun TV. Excellent review.
I just noticed that the letters of Hawaii Five O fill in in conjunction with drum beats on the montage... pretty cool.
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