Reviews

Channel surfing one night, I caught this film somewhere after it started and was drawn in by the premise, which if you have read the included summary, you know involves a man, locked inside an institution, claiming he is from the past. The interplay between the psychologist, wonderfully played by Hope Davis, and the "patient" played by Denis Leary, was very fascinating. Having stepped into the movie after it started, I was swept away by my imagination as to what was really going on. I continued to watch the film for another 20 minutes, still intrigued by the story. How did this man find himself in the institution? I searched my program guide, learned the film was going to be on a later date, and set my dish/recorder. When I watched the film from the beginning, (Warning, a little of the film plot) I realized how he came into the institution, was a mystery, at least to him. I was very impressed with Denis Leary's acting. Having seen him in the Ref which was a comedy, I enjoyed him, later, having watched him in Two If by Sea (terrible film) and The Job (an awful main character made this show difficult to enjoy), I didn't really expect him to show the depth of acting he was able to portray in this film. If you enjoy him on Rescue Me,(some of the finest work on television today, which makes the summer viewing pleasurable) and are now going back to view some of his earlier work, you will not be disappointed in the time you spend engrossed with this film.

I really wanted to like the 4400, and for the first few episodes, I did. The premise of abductees returning was intriguing, and in the first few episodes, watching the various "powers" of the returnee's was fun. Sadly, the poor acting of the major characters, especially Joel Gretsch, made what could have been a fun romp into SciFi, a long slow arduous horror show of constant over acting. Then, things turned from bad to worse. The plot lines devised to include the main characters, started to stretch the fabric of credibility. When the main "investigator's" nephew starts to show amazing powers, and eventually becomes the head of the 4400's secretive organization, the governmental agency doesn't balk at one of the most absurd conflicts of interest, which in the real world, would obviously negate his future involvement. He is partnered with female named Diana Skouris, (X file fans, sound like another female partner's name? Dana Scully anyone?) who also has a background in science (yet another Scully coincidence?) and "adopts" one of the 4400, a child who knows the future before it happens, she doesn't get removed from the case either. (Nor, in future episodes, when the investigators and government need to know things, like the location or targets of 4400 terrorist, do they employ let alone discuss the use of the child to help them know terrorist targets) Things get even more bizarre when Joel Gretsch's character marries a 4400. Again, no conflict of interest there. (another oddity, the woman he marries on the show, is the real life wife of Billy Campbell, who is supposedly assassinated on the show, by, surprise, Joel Gretsch's son on the show.) Like I said, the "Fi" just continues to get more bizarre. Its to bad, as many of the 4400 guest stars bring some interesting and refreshing acting and character developments. This show started off with some mystery and great potential, now, it has devolved into a bad soap opera, rife with convoluted relationships, in a poor attempt to include issues which were much better covered in Alien Nation, or X-Men, the natural instinct of people to fear the unknown or those who are different. It might not be too late to save the 4400, if only the writers would change back to the unfulfilled promise of the first few episodes. And a change in the leading man certainly would refresh what has become stale in less then 1 seasons and two episodes of the second.