Alright, fourth review here. Actually, this might count as reviews four and five. It's going to be another TV show this time. I'm not confident in my writing skills but, I do welcome criticism. Thanks for reading!
If you've seen any of the live-action offerings from Cartoon Network you've no doubt noticed that they're terrible. Honestly, you don't even need to watch an episode, just read the titles: Destroy, Build, Destroy, Dude, What Happen?, Hole in the Wall. Those shows are just as awful as the titles make them out to be, possibly even worse. Granted, all those are reality shows, so it's no surprise that they're awful. Cartoon Network does offer two regular scripted live-action shows. One of which is Unnatural History. The other is Tower Prep, the show that I'm going to be reviewing. Before that however, I do want to say some things about the first show Unnatural History.
The pilot episode of Tower Prep titled "New Kid" begins with the main character Ian Archer getting suspended from school for fighting, while trying to defend another student. That night Ian blacks out and awakens to find that he is in a mysterious preparatory high school called Tower Prep. After stumbling around the school, Ian meets the headmaster who explains that the school's goal is to unlock each of its students' unique abilities. As interesting as that sounds, Ian doesn't appreciate getting kidnapped and being held prisoner and plans to escape the school. Along the way he meets CJ, Gabe and Suki who also desire to leave the school. They realize that leaving isn't going to be easy and regroup back to the school and bide their time.
[img_inline align=right width=200 caption=Gabe, CJ, Ian, and Suki]http://haryananews.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Tower-Prep-Group-edit-225x300.jpg[/img_inline]
That's the quick summary of what the first episode is about and basic premise of the show. It's an interesting idea; kinda like a more sinister version of Professor X's school. Except, the students of Tower Prep have powers that are much more grounded in reality. For example, Ian has extremely fast reflexes; CJ can analyze people's body language, and Suki can mimic anyone's voice (sounds kinda lame). The last of the lead characters, Gabe, has a poorly explained ability. He has hypersuasion: He can influence people through the sounds of his voice and convince them to do almost anything. It sounds like the "Old Jedi Mind Trick". It's a difficult power to write. If it's too effective why not just ask the teachers to let them leave? On the other hand limiting the ability too much will render it little more than being able to speak well.
Tower Prep is an action show targeted towards teens. It could easily fall into the same pitfall as Unnatural History and feature woefully, inaccurate attempts at having authentic dialog for teenage characters. The writers of Tower Prep, however, know the secret to natural sounding dialog for young characters: avoid using slang and write as though they're regular human beings. Difficult concept right? The only slightly embarrassing word used in the script was "noob"; admittedly it was used too much, three times in fact.
Another trap with teen dramas that Tower Prep avoids is casting people that look too old. The show has a good cast and everyone looks their age, or at least close enough. The part of Ian Archer, in particular, is cast very well. There is a large potential to screw up the character. Ian is a rebellious teenager. If handled poorly this could be portrayed as a whiny emo kid. Drew Van Acker plays the part with just the right amount of confidence and arrogance. If done incorrectly you'll get pompous asses like the main characters from Ben 10 and Generator Rex. If done correctly you'll get something like Terry McGinnis from the excellent Batman Beyond.
I wouldn't be surprised if McGinnis served as a template for Ian Archer, (interestingly, Ian's outfit is similar to Terry's in the pic above) since Paul Dini not only wrote the first episode but is also the creator of Tower Prep. Don't know who Paul Dini is? For starters he was greatly involved with all the cartoons contained in the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) writing some of the best episodes of those series. Why in the world did CN not advertise the fact that Paul Dini created the show? It would be as stupid as not mentioning that Genndy Tartakovsy was behind one of their newest cartoons...wait-a-sec...they did just that with Sym-Bionic Titan.
[img_inline align=right width=319.5 height=240 caption=Ian meets Headmaster]http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/towerprep/pictures/1280x960-ian-headmaster.jpg[/img_inline]For someone known for his work with cartoons and comics it's strange that Paul Dini is creating a live-action show. I'm not really sure I understand the decision to make it live-action opposed to a cartoon. A lot of the problems with the show could have been solved if it was a cartoon. The production values are kinda low. Special effects, like the school's laser security system look goofy and the costumes for the creatures in the woods were pretty stupid looking as well. There's also the problem of high school bullies. This role is hard to do effectively in live-action. With a cartoon you can get away with drawing the bullies with huge bulky frames. With live-action, no such luck. A failed attempt at being intimidating risks being embarrassing. To be fair the actors playing the bullies did a good job. They didn't come across as intimidating but they didn't try too hard as to look like weenies trying to act tough. Cartoons also make it easier to get away with some of the cheesier lines of dialog. Hey, there's no avoiding them; teenage heroes gotta make the occasional silly quips and comebacks. Then there's the obvious fact that cartoons are just plain cooler.
While in the end I can't decidedly say whether Tower Prep is good or bad based on just one episode, I'm leaning towards it being good. I will say that I did enjoy the first episode. The premise is interesting enough, the writing is good, it's funny, the acting is solid, and the characters are likable. With Paul Dini at the helm the show's got serious potential. Already with the first episode I can tell there will be good character development along with a season story arc. Tower Prep is a show that people should keep their eyes on. Hopefully, people won't dismiss it for being a live-action TV show on a channel called Cartoon Network. I know I almost did.
Note: CN airs Tower Prep Tuesdays at 8:00 pm. Tower Prep is 45 minutes long (an hour counting commercials).
If you've seen any of the live-action offerings from Cartoon Network you've no doubt noticed that they're terrible. Honestly, you don't even need to watch an episode, just read the titles: Destroy, Build, Destroy, Dude, What Happen?, Hole in the Wall. Those shows are just as awful as the titles make them out to be, possibly even worse. Granted, all those are reality shows, so it's no surprise that they're awful. Cartoon Network does offer two regular scripted live-action shows. One of which is Unnatural History. The other is Tower Prep, the show that I'm going to be reviewing. Before that however, I do want to say some things about the first show Unnatural History.
Unnatural History is the show the folks at Cartoon Network were betting was the better of the two. CN promoted this show a great deal. They showed several different ads, inserting them whenever there was a commercial break. It was hyped almost as extensively as Adventure Time. Whereas Adventure Time is a good show, Unnatural History is just bad. It's the kind of bad that is offensive. I'm not exaggerating here; I get angry just watching Unnatural History. The writing is absolutely horrid. Unnatural History is a Teen action/drama/mystery show. The keyword there is "Teen". The show feels like it was written by some old guy (which is actually the case) who is completely out of touch. It's like the only information he's had on the subject is from old cliched high school movies.
The show revolves around Henry Griffin who has traveled with his anthropologist parents around the world all his life. When his parents decide Henry should attend high school he's out of his element. Henry's cousin, Jasper, tries to show him the ropes of high school life. Expect a lot of parts to play out like that scene in Terminator 2 where Edward Furlong teaches Arnold to say stuff like "Asta La Vista, Baby". The characters frequently use slang I've never heard anyone say. For instance, according to the Jasper the phrase "butt posse" is the male equivalent to BFFs...um...WHAT?! Here's another example: "I'd much rather do it F2F", says a female character. To which Henry responds "F2F?" (which for any sane person is the correct response) Jasper then remarks, "Face to Face; Sorry, Henry doesn't speak 21st century." I could go on and on giving examples of embarrassing dialog, but then I would just be writing down the script word for word, ZING!
Now poor dialog isn't enough to doom a show; It could end up having a "so bad it's good" thing. What prevent the show from having this benefit are the detestable characters. I'll admit the main character isn't dreadful, but the innocent act gets old fast. The other two leads, Jasper and Maggie are loathsome. They are condescending to just about all the students and kiss ass to every authority figure. They're best described as those stuck up know-it-alls that take school way too seriously. In one episode a villain says something along the lines of how "little kids should be studying for the SATS, not sticking their noses everywhere." The two look insulted and explain that they already have a studying system and that they were definitely going to get high scores.
The actual plots of the episodes are also pretty bad. During one of the promos the creator/writer explains who the show is educational and contains interesting historical facts. In the end it amounts to mentioning a historical figure/object/person and loosely connecting them to the episode's mystery; no matter how ridiculous it is.
The only thing you can compliment about the show is the presentation. The show looks good, other than some silly special effects. Much more effort was put into this show than those horrible live-action Disney Channel comedies, which utilize an extremely static camera. I'll also mention that the actors do a decent job. The show isn't any better because of them, but it isn't any worse either. It's hard to criticize the actors when they have to work with such a poor script.
Going back to how I said Unnatural History truly offends me, it all comes down to something I already mentioned in my review of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc.. It's maddening that CN gave Unnatural History so much attention when superb shows like Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc. and Sym-Bionic Titan get very little hype. If Unnatural History returns for a second season and those cartoons do not it will be a huge injustice. Luckily, I think CN realized the show's a bust and have dialed back on the hype considerably.
Note: Batman will be ending, not getting canceled, (there's a huge difference) after its third season. 46 episodes is a pretty good run. Apparently a new series is in the works that'll return to a more serious tone.
The show revolves around Henry Griffin who has traveled with his anthropologist parents around the world all his life. When his parents decide Henry should attend high school he's out of his element. Henry's cousin, Jasper, tries to show him the ropes of high school life. Expect a lot of parts to play out like that scene in Terminator 2 where Edward Furlong teaches Arnold to say stuff like "Asta La Vista, Baby". The characters frequently use slang I've never heard anyone say. For instance, according to the Jasper the phrase "butt posse" is the male equivalent to BFFs...um...WHAT?! Here's another example: "I'd much rather do it F2F", says a female character. To which Henry responds "F2F?" (which for any sane person is the correct response) Jasper then remarks, "Face to Face; Sorry, Henry doesn't speak 21st century." I could go on and on giving examples of embarrassing dialog, but then I would just be writing down the script word for word, ZING!
Now poor dialog isn't enough to doom a show; It could end up having a "so bad it's good" thing. What prevent the show from having this benefit are the detestable characters. I'll admit the main character isn't dreadful, but the innocent act gets old fast. The other two leads, Jasper and Maggie are loathsome. They are condescending to just about all the students and kiss ass to every authority figure. They're best described as those stuck up know-it-alls that take school way too seriously. In one episode a villain says something along the lines of how "little kids should be studying for the SATS, not sticking their noses everywhere." The two look insulted and explain that they already have a studying system and that they were definitely going to get high scores.
The actual plots of the episodes are also pretty bad. During one of the promos the creator/writer explains who the show is educational and contains interesting historical facts. In the end it amounts to mentioning a historical figure/object/person and loosely connecting them to the episode's mystery; no matter how ridiculous it is.
The only thing you can compliment about the show is the presentation. The show looks good, other than some silly special effects. Much more effort was put into this show than those horrible live-action Disney Channel comedies, which utilize an extremely static camera. I'll also mention that the actors do a decent job. The show isn't any better because of them, but it isn't any worse either. It's hard to criticize the actors when they have to work with such a poor script.
Going back to how I said Unnatural History truly offends me, it all comes down to something I already mentioned in my review of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc.. It's maddening that CN gave Unnatural History so much attention when superb shows like Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc. and Sym-Bionic Titan get very little hype. If Unnatural History returns for a second season and those cartoons do not it will be a huge injustice. Luckily, I think CN realized the show's a bust and have dialed back on the hype considerably.
Note: Batman will be ending, not getting canceled, (there's a huge difference) after its third season. 46 episodes is a pretty good run. Apparently a new series is in the works that'll return to a more serious tone.
The pilot episode of Tower Prep titled "New Kid" begins with the main character Ian Archer getting suspended from school for fighting, while trying to defend another student. That night Ian blacks out and awakens to find that he is in a mysterious preparatory high school called Tower Prep. After stumbling around the school, Ian meets the headmaster who explains that the school's goal is to unlock each of its students' unique abilities. As interesting as that sounds, Ian doesn't appreciate getting kidnapped and being held prisoner and plans to escape the school. Along the way he meets CJ, Gabe and Suki who also desire to leave the school. They realize that leaving isn't going to be easy and regroup back to the school and bide their time.
[img_inline align=right width=200 caption=Gabe, CJ, Ian, and Suki]http://haryananews.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Tower-Prep-Group-edit-225x300.jpg[/img_inline]
That's the quick summary of what the first episode is about and basic premise of the show. It's an interesting idea; kinda like a more sinister version of Professor X's school. Except, the students of Tower Prep have powers that are much more grounded in reality. For example, Ian has extremely fast reflexes; CJ can analyze people's body language, and Suki can mimic anyone's voice (sounds kinda lame). The last of the lead characters, Gabe, has a poorly explained ability. He has hypersuasion: He can influence people through the sounds of his voice and convince them to do almost anything. It sounds like the "Old Jedi Mind Trick". It's a difficult power to write. If it's too effective why not just ask the teachers to let them leave? On the other hand limiting the ability too much will render it little more than being able to speak well.
Tower Prep is an action show targeted towards teens. It could easily fall into the same pitfall as Unnatural History and feature woefully, inaccurate attempts at having authentic dialog for teenage characters. The writers of Tower Prep, however, know the secret to natural sounding dialog for young characters: avoid using slang and write as though they're regular human beings. Difficult concept right? The only slightly embarrassing word used in the script was "noob"; admittedly it was used too much, three times in fact.
Another trap with teen dramas that Tower Prep avoids is casting people that look too old. The show has a good cast and everyone looks their age, or at least close enough. The part of Ian Archer, in particular, is cast very well. There is a large potential to screw up the character. Ian is a rebellious teenager. If handled poorly this could be portrayed as a whiny emo kid. Drew Van Acker plays the part with just the right amount of confidence and arrogance. If done incorrectly you'll get pompous asses like the main characters from Ben 10 and Generator Rex. If done correctly you'll get something like Terry McGinnis from the excellent Batman Beyond.
I wouldn't be surprised if McGinnis served as a template for Ian Archer, (interestingly, Ian's outfit is similar to Terry's in the pic above) since Paul Dini not only wrote the first episode but is also the creator of Tower Prep. Don't know who Paul Dini is? For starters he was greatly involved with all the cartoons contained in the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) writing some of the best episodes of those series. Why in the world did CN not advertise the fact that Paul Dini created the show? It would be as stupid as not mentioning that Genndy Tartakovsy was behind one of their newest cartoons...wait-a-sec...they did just that with Sym-Bionic Titan.
[img_inline align=right width=319.5 height=240 caption=Ian meets Headmaster]http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/towerprep/pictures/1280x960-ian-headmaster.jpg[/img_inline]For someone known for his work with cartoons and comics it's strange that Paul Dini is creating a live-action show. I'm not really sure I understand the decision to make it live-action opposed to a cartoon. A lot of the problems with the show could have been solved if it was a cartoon. The production values are kinda low. Special effects, like the school's laser security system look goofy and the costumes for the creatures in the woods were pretty stupid looking as well. There's also the problem of high school bullies. This role is hard to do effectively in live-action. With a cartoon you can get away with drawing the bullies with huge bulky frames. With live-action, no such luck. A failed attempt at being intimidating risks being embarrassing. To be fair the actors playing the bullies did a good job. They didn't come across as intimidating but they didn't try too hard as to look like weenies trying to act tough. Cartoons also make it easier to get away with some of the cheesier lines of dialog. Hey, there's no avoiding them; teenage heroes gotta make the occasional silly quips and comebacks. Then there's the obvious fact that cartoons are just plain cooler.
While in the end I can't decidedly say whether Tower Prep is good or bad based on just one episode, I'm leaning towards it being good. I will say that I did enjoy the first episode. The premise is interesting enough, the writing is good, it's funny, the acting is solid, and the characters are likable. With Paul Dini at the helm the show's got serious potential. Already with the first episode I can tell there will be good character development along with a season story arc. Tower Prep is a show that people should keep their eyes on. Hopefully, people won't dismiss it for being a live-action TV show on a channel called Cartoon Network. I know I almost did.
Note: CN airs Tower Prep Tuesdays at 8:00 pm. Tower Prep is 45 minutes long (an hour counting commercials).
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