Reviews

This WAS a top notch show. I'll state that i could not finish season 3. My wife and i rate season 1-2 as 9 out of 10, FANTASTIC! It was good acting, the cases were interesting, the actors were great, there was some good interpersonal tension, good mix of personal drama, and some really interesting long story arcs weaving through the seasons. Season three started and it was utter garbage. All the characters were hollywoodized, the interpersonal interaction was hostile and they ruined everything she worked for in the first 2 seasons. The actors were more U.S. glamorous, the focus was on personal lives, the cases not as interesting, and the characters were just felt corrupt and lame. Sad and pathetic. I was so sad the series nose-dived - the whole flavor changed. Julie Stewart was the only redeeming part of season three - and they took away her as a focus... she was still great.

There's a lot of gratuitous visual footage in this film, and better editing would have made it more bearable through the first and middle parts. Quite frankly it got boring. There's time when such cinematic styles work and times when they do not, and i felt they did not with this film. The acting is OK, there's no great performances here. This is a bit puzzling as the cast is pretty good, i would have expected more but i feel the acting was hampered a bit by the tone the film set. After it picks up its entertaining... but if you are looking for historical representation you may just want to read the real accounts. Once i got over the standard Hollywood stereotypes it got better. Take it for a fun, fictional ride and not a historical drama and you should be fine.

I was only willing to sample this series because of Murhpy's Law and James Nesbitt was playing the lead (i'm a huge fan, so maybe i'm biased here). I can honestly say i was blown away. It was certainly far better than i even hoped and way exceeded my expectations. This was one of those "less is more" approaches to special effects and terror. Its flashes and images we see at his worst moments as Hyde, but enough to make your skin crawl when you see him on screen. Nesbitt's face is FAR more expressive than i thought. Not quite a Jim Carey, but i was creeped out a few times with his facial expressions. Also, his performance reminded me a lot of Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Hyde would have made a perfect droog. Playing the role of the doctor seemed like it required more effort - he's not a dynamic character until later in the series... and i think its hard to really care about him until things get moving. The adaptation itself.. well, someone should win an award for it. Its very modern and involves good contemporary plot arcs of mature violence, social norms, coporatism, secret societies, and others woven together exceedingly well.

Beyond the academic information about the warrior cultures is a great amount of context information regarding the historical period and the position of warriors in the society at large. Terry is phenomenal - he brings a honesty and passion lacking in many such documentaries. There are many scenes of him and the local warriors bonding. He tackles each in good weather and bad, suffers accidents, and brings his own experience as a Green Beret and military officers forward to show how many aspects are universal and still relevant today. This goes beyond any documentary - it immerses you in living, breathing versions of past and current warriors. This has something for the hobbyist, educator, lay person, and specialists - its extraordinarily well presented. Excellent show, REALLY, REALLY wish they would do another season.

Having watched season 1 on DVD all i can say is wow. I watched them all as a kid and pretended i was Jim West! Yea, the dialog is a bit campy here and there, and the action was a bit formulated... but the sets, fights, plots, gadgets, and acting were ALL top notch. Surely this show had influence on many of those that came after it. I reveled in it, i really wish I could tell Mr Conrad and Mr. Martin (dead now) how absolutely enjoyable these shows still are and how well they still stand up. Absolutely one of the best shows to ever hit television for sheer entertainment value. Loved the DVD set - great little extra's.No stops pulled on the creative elements either - even the animation and music fit perfectly and are really unique.