This week Fox Premiered “Human Target”, a TV show about a man who is paid to serve as an undercover bodyguard for people until their would-be killer’s reveal themselves, at which point our hero takes them out.
Based on a DC comics character, this series departs from the original concept (at least in the Pilot) by having the hero pretend to be someone associated with the target, rather than assuming the identity of the target himself through disguises and make-up. Although the original concept is much more unique and interesting, it was likely ditched for two reasons. First, convincing disguises are easier to buy into on the comic book page than in live action. Second, avoiding “disguises” allows the series to be carried by a consistent lead actor, instead of a number of guest stars who would be playing the hero as he “impersonates them”. Either approach has appealing traits but the choice made this time seems to be the better one. (If I remember correctly, the first approach was attempted and failed in an early 90’s “Human Target” TV show.)
These days, it takes something special for me to sit down and give my time to a TV show on a regular basis. So is this one I’ll stick with? If they can keep the quality up to the standard set by the pilot, there’s a pretty good chance! (No pun intended. Honest, I just noticed that after I typed it.)
Mark Valley plays Christopher Chance, the “Human Target”. But Chance has a team backing him up which includes Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach, from “Watchmen”), an incredible piece of this puzzle and an indication to me that the network really wants this show to work. Furthermore, guest stars in the Pilot include two cast members from “Battlestar Galactica”(Trisha Helfer, aka Cylon model 6, and the guy who played the Doctor), which smells like further indication of the crowd they are hoping to reach.
Valley is a pretty good hero and handles his dialogue well. His straight-faced yet off-balance characterization implies potential for depth in the character. This is true especially given a conversation near the end of the episode indicating that Chance may have a death wish. Haley seems very well suited for his role as “tech geek” and provides the strange, geeky flavor you expect, but with an added menace that you may not.
But the real star of this premiere was the script. The dialogue was very clever and fun to listen to. Haley’s introductory scene is possibly the most memorable part of the episode. If every episode is written this well, I will likely be back for more. The downside is that conceptually, this show will likely not demand that I tune in. I’ve come to prefer TV shows that ask me to invest every week if I expect to keep up, and this show looks like it will have a “job of the week” structure with a little characterization story arc thrown in. Given this structure, I can imagine myself missing an episode or two because I don’t feel a need to come back.
Another downside was the special effects. Instead of finding a train they could film at an appropriate frame-rate to be sped up without looking hokey, they went with a CGI train that looks a lot like a CGI train.
The action sequences were great, however. Exciting, unpredictable, wonderfully choreographed and skillfully executed, I can only hope that the quality will be consistent in future episodes.
As for content of moral, theological or philosophical relevance, Chance says something early on to an attempted murderer that stuck with me. “No one deserves to die.” Now, you can argue your view of the death penalty back and forth all you want, but this is more than a political statement by the writers. This is a very broad, all-inclusive and “value loaded” statement. Does “no one” include Adolf Hitler? Does “no one” include Josef Mengele, who experimented on young boys and girls in Auschwitz before killing them through horrific brutal surgery without anesthetic? And how about the less high profile unrepentant child rapist/killers who pop up in our news every few years? I’m not anxious to condemn anyone, but the phrase “No one deserves to die” or its equivalent was used in a careless way more than once in this script. I think the writers and editors have forgotten too quickly the human potential for monstrous evil.
A secondary theme that may be developed as the series continues is Chance’s death wish. The implication by another character is that Chance wants to die to make up for some past wrong. If developed, this plot point could lead to discussion about self-sacrifice and its potential or lack thereof to “make up” for past wrongs. Biblically speaking, we can’t “make up” for our sins. We have to be willing to set aside pride and ask God to do that for us. So it will be interesting to see how this theme is handled in the future, based on the taste they’ve given us in this episode.
For a TV show, this was a great premiere with a few flaws that “accidentally” gives us some interesting things to think about.
Quality: 8.5
Relevance: 7.0
I like a good vampire flick now and then, but these days it’s hard to bring something new to the genre and still leave it feeling like a proper vampire story. The “Underworld” movies brought a sense of cool superhero action to the genre. So did Blade and Ultraviolet, but the former is even more a straight superhero flick with a vampire theme and the latter is barely recognizable as a vampire story at all.
Daybreakers, starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Defoe and Sam Neill, creates an entirely new vampire story while keeping it firmly in the genre. 10 years into the future, over 95% of the human population is made up of vampires. Normal humans are an endangered species, hunted down to be placed in “blood farms” to supply food for a starving population of vampires.
Ethan Hawke is a scientist looking for a blood substitute, but he may have just stumbled on a cure. A cure that his company doesn’t want, since it will mean the end of the blood farming business.
Naturally there is a human resistance and of course there are bloody blood-sucking scenes. But two things make this movie a unique vampire movie experience.
The first is the world itself. In a world where most everyone is a vampire, a car chase during the daytime suddenly becomes much more intense than it would normally be. And that’s just one example. The unique application of vampire lore to this world was a high point of interest for me.
The second unique aspect of this vampire flick was the type of relationships focused on. Usually, vampire flicks lean toward romance stories of some kind(if you can really call them that). But family relationships take center stage in this movie and it makes for a refreshing change. Emotional investment in a genre film like this can be hard to come by, but Daybreakers provides characters you can care about.
Although the overall plot is not unpredictable, there are several scenes and elements that took me by surprise, especially one shocking scene near the beginning. Blood sucking also feels painful and unromantic in this movie. Overall, this film is an emotionally engaging experience.
Ethan Hawke is great at being vulnerable, Sam Neil brings some of the menace he displayed in “Event Horizon” and Willem Defoe is Willem Defoe. He also has a fantastic one-liner that had me unexpectedly laughing out loud! Overall, very solid cast performances throughout, with only one slip of an Australian accent (where it was filmed) that I caught.
The special effects are well done, though they aren’t shooting for anything new. I’d compare the quality and frequency of special effects to the first “Underworld” movie. Cool and economical.
There is some brief nudity in this movie, but it is thematically non-sexual and much like “corpse nudity”. (The bodies in question are very dead-looking humans being farmed for blood.)
There’s a little room for discussion of fearing death after watching this movie. But not much, as the point isn’t emphasized. Those who have difference of belief between them and their family members (Be it morality, God or politics) will probably feel a little extra resonance with this movie. But the script is not constructed in a way to make any particular commentary on family relationships in conflict and so discussion is not likely after viewing, even though the themes are strongly present.
This is a cool, intriguing vampire flick that genre fans shouldn’t miss and others may still enjoy for its dramatic elements. There’s not much of philosophical worth to talk about after this movie, but opportunity is there if you scratch around a bit for it.
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity.
Quality: 9.0/10
