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| TV,
Justin Harries,
15 January 2001 |
Rating: F2
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Dark Angel is a big budget, near future shocker from King of the World James Cameron. The American economy has been devastated after the release of an EMP (Electro magnetic pulse) bomb, wiping all computer records and reducing the once mighty power to the status of a third world country. Our heroine is Max, played by the very fine Jessica Alba, a cycle courier and cat burglar with a difference. The girl has a dark past indeed, having been genetically engineered as a super soldier by the government, thus endowing her with Buffyesque power. On the run from the government that created her, see searches for others like her. Self-serving and amoralistic, her eyes are opened by cyber revolutionist Logan to the injustices around her. The show mostly resembles the work of Jack Womack, whose series of Dryco books explored the darker side of humanity after an economic crash. However dark, dystopia on TV has a rather poor track record. VR 5? Phooey. Max Headroom was there before the rest, boasting a high quote of the obligatory burning bin. Special mention must go to the revamped second season of the War of the worlds TV show. Despite being absolutely terrible, the show was not afraid to portray the American dream irrevocably soured after the collapse. Then again this may have more to do with the fact that it was produced with Canadian money. What these shows lacked to their detriment was a certain Mrs Alba. Cool, spunky, she could certainly be referred to as being hot. Max could of just been Buffy with a barcode, but hers is the story that guides the show, and Able seems up to the job, especially with Cameron backing her up. After all, he is seen as the man when it comes to combining human interest and high concept. Getting the balance between a hopelessly fucked future and a fucked future with hope is going to be tricky. One hit Distopia at movie length is a more palatable proposition than tuning in week after week to see just how bad things really can get. But, then again, the King is too wily a card to let his show get bogged down in such a morass. On hand to feed the good time factor are Maxs motley assortment of cycle courier pals. Talk about extraneous. These guys offer their two cents that, like the cash in the show, is worthless. Theres pretty much two directions sci fi shows could travel in. They could opt for a plot driven show like the X files, where characters and motivations are subservient to an all consuming arc, or it could end up more like Buffy, where character interaction is the key. A lot of maguffins are set up in the pilot, however, if these follow a course too straight and narrow, all we could be left with is a rerun of renegade. Albeit with cycle couriers. Theres certainly scope to create explore a rich political landscape here, with Max caught right in the middle. Reports of later episodes indicate a shaky first run, but as Camerons involved, I cant see it being trashed by Fox which is a good thing these sort of shows do things best during their second season. Theres nothing we havent seen before on Dark Angle, but never before have the ingredients been lovingly, or expensively, prepared as they are here.
Sky One Wednesdays, 9pm
Fox 9.00pm (8.00pm Central) Tuesdays
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