I am hoping I'm the first on this topic, especially as I am to the original series what Root is to Doctor Who! Firstly if you haven't seen the original I suggest you don't if your currently watching the new series as you will want to turn off the new one and watch the original!
So onto the science bit (The review) With some spoilers possibly.
Firstly this remake is not as bad as the American TV movie of doctor Who which is widely regarded as the largest pile of crap since I laced Dumbo's peanuts with exlax! But it doesn't have the same sort of surreal sense of humour that the original did it also looses several details which were prominent in the original series.
But lets face it no remake exceeds it source material does it, so with a sob I leave Patrick McGoohan behind and turn my eye toward the work of "The Passion of the Christ's" Jim Cavizel(the hardest man to spell in show business!) Firstly his problem is this he admits in interviews he has never seen the original programme, would you play King Leer after reading a copy of Hello Magazine? No! So a working knowledge of the original (there I go again) would be rather advantageous to the person who plays the pivotal role! He is however fairly workmanlike without the swagger or so far charm that was on display previously. He is a "NO6" for the emo generation, all a little bit whiney.
His anger seems all too much like an angsty teenager rather than an international man of mystery imprisoned in an internment camp for spies, I am waiting for episode 2 "Number 6 is sent to bed with no supper!)"
Number 2 on the other hand is Sir Ian McKellan, need I say more than that? Well he is the archetypal number 2 who have always been heavy weights of the English stage, although giving one of the most openly gay men in the media a teenage son and a disabled wife may stretch credibility. Especially when Number 2's only companion is usually a short Butler, this is needless characterisation for him. He should be a sexless omnipotent figure, you shouldn't really need emotional attachment to him he is the warden.
Oh and the love interest, facepalm! Number 6 sees all female attention as a way for his new masters to placate him and take over his mind in order to get the information. So love is entirely wrong. I may be gun jumping here but if there in bed by episode 4 I will personally hunt down and cock slap everyone involved.
The Village itself is pretty good as it is out of place in it's environment and makes for a rather good disconnect! Like a renaissance style Italian village in the heart of Wales, a German colonial town in Africa mirrors this without directly copying.
They have more or less kept to the script idea of the original man resigns gets imprisoned, there the scripts part company as we have scenes of a man being hunted by dogs, explosions a pseudo car chase. It seems to have been dumbed down slightly for a modern audience.
The original theme music has gone in favour of modernist trash, which is a shame as the music within the series was as iconic as the acting, sets and general mood of the rest of the series.
So in closing
The good points.
Nice new Village
Rovers
Number 2
The general sense of Paranoia.
The bad points
Men with guns
Explosions
Number six has a name
Love interest
The theme being destroyed in favour of sub John Carpenter synth wankery
Patrick McGoohan is dead
No variety in the music in the village
The series clearly has been through several sets of hands, each pulling in different directions.
Overall
I will continue to watch as long as they can Guarantee me an ending where they don't all wake up on a Mars probe and Number 2 is Six's dad.
If you have seen it feel free to comment, if you have seen the original series feel free to comment. If you hated it feel free to comment as well.
If you have never seen any of it join and those that know will share our tales of "Prisoner" geekdom!
So onto the science bit (The review) With some spoilers possibly.
Firstly this remake is not as bad as the American TV movie of doctor Who which is widely regarded as the largest pile of crap since I laced Dumbo's peanuts with exlax! But it doesn't have the same sort of surreal sense of humour that the original did it also looses several details which were prominent in the original series.
But lets face it no remake exceeds it source material does it, so with a sob I leave Patrick McGoohan behind and turn my eye toward the work of "The Passion of the Christ's" Jim Cavizel(the hardest man to spell in show business!) Firstly his problem is this he admits in interviews he has never seen the original programme, would you play King Leer after reading a copy of Hello Magazine? No! So a working knowledge of the original (there I go again) would be rather advantageous to the person who plays the pivotal role! He is however fairly workmanlike without the swagger or so far charm that was on display previously. He is a "NO6" for the emo generation, all a little bit whiney.
His anger seems all too much like an angsty teenager rather than an international man of mystery imprisoned in an internment camp for spies, I am waiting for episode 2 "Number 6 is sent to bed with no supper!)"
Number 2 on the other hand is Sir Ian McKellan, need I say more than that? Well he is the archetypal number 2 who have always been heavy weights of the English stage, although giving one of the most openly gay men in the media a teenage son and a disabled wife may stretch credibility. Especially when Number 2's only companion is usually a short Butler, this is needless characterisation for him. He should be a sexless omnipotent figure, you shouldn't really need emotional attachment to him he is the warden.
Oh and the love interest, facepalm! Number 6 sees all female attention as a way for his new masters to placate him and take over his mind in order to get the information. So love is entirely wrong. I may be gun jumping here but if there in bed by episode 4 I will personally hunt down and cock slap everyone involved.
The Village itself is pretty good as it is out of place in it's environment and makes for a rather good disconnect! Like a renaissance style Italian village in the heart of Wales, a German colonial town in Africa mirrors this without directly copying.
They have more or less kept to the script idea of the original man resigns gets imprisoned, there the scripts part company as we have scenes of a man being hunted by dogs, explosions a pseudo car chase. It seems to have been dumbed down slightly for a modern audience.
The original theme music has gone in favour of modernist trash, which is a shame as the music within the series was as iconic as the acting, sets and general mood of the rest of the series.
So in closing
The good points.
Nice new Village
Rovers
Number 2
The general sense of Paranoia.
The bad points
Men with guns
Explosions
Number six has a name
Love interest
The theme being destroyed in favour of sub John Carpenter synth wankery
Patrick McGoohan is dead
No variety in the music in the village
The series clearly has been through several sets of hands, each pulling in different directions.
Overall
I will continue to watch as long as they can Guarantee me an ending where they don't all wake up on a Mars probe and Number 2 is Six's dad.
If you have seen it feel free to comment, if you have seen the original series feel free to comment. If you hated it feel free to comment as well.
If you have never seen any of it join and those that know will share our tales of "Prisoner" geekdom!