Rhonny here. If you've been a regular listener to the radio show, then you've probably heard me bitch about how every horror show now a days is on cable and us folks who are too broke for Showtime and AMC can't get a piece of the tv terror pie...well I can finally put a sock in it and enjoy the taste of sweet prime time horror! In case you live under a rock, Tuesday was the two hour premier of The River, a show brought to us by the folks who made Paranormal Activity. Now a lot of people have given the show mixed reviews, so I thought it was time to throw my hat into the mix. First let me give you a quick rundown of the show's premise (yes, it's from Wikipedia):
Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for magic deep in the uncharted Amazon and never returned. The shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. To the millions of kids who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole's emergency beacon suddenly goes off. At the urging of his mother, Tess (Leslie Hope), Lincoln reluctantly joins her on a search for his father. To fund the rescue, they agree to let Dr. Cole's cagey ex-producer, Clark (Paul Blackthorne), film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the sexy and resourceful Lena (Eloise Mumford), loyal mechanic Emilio (Daniel Zacapa) and lethal bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).
Now that you've got a basic idea of what is going on, let's get into the two show premier:
The first episode starts off with a quick explanation of what's happening (pretty much the info above, but in a Blair Witch style "black back with white words" way). And that my friends is pretty much all the explanation given in the whole show because right away, it starts to dive into the action. I think this is why it got some mixed reviews, but remember it's a show not a movie. It's got at LEAST 6 more episodes to go so you can't expect the first one to go into so much detail it ruins the rest! But anyways, when I say action I mean it! I mean, it's the FIRST episode, and already we got blood, ghosts, and a dead cameraman (his contract talks must have been really shitty...) as well as the beginning of some serious sub plots (I really see little hints of LOST in there, which makes me happy) and hidden family secrets. The first episode also lays some great groundwork for character development (It's not often that after ONE episode, you already know who you're gonna hate and love, namely my already growing disdain for the sleazy producer guy). We also see that the mechanic's daughter is a lot more knowledgeable than any of the adults and, as with many horror films and shows, no one has the right sense to listen to her!
Then we move on to episode two (the second half of the 2 hour premier) and BAM, the action doesn't die but in fact picks ups and start running like Usain Bolt! Not only do we have the fact that weird as blood thristy ghosts are after them, but we got a possession, creepy ass dolls (my favorite part so far), and a ghost girl who likes to play in the water a little too much (actual this whole part my be my favorite part, I can't decide). Now in some films, all of these different subjects tend to overcrowd the main plot and make too much chaos, but I think the show does a great job of tying them all together and making it understandable and enjoyable to watch. The character development also picks up as we see that the body guard has other motives in this whole ordeal, and...well I still think the producer guy is a sleaze whom I can't wait till crazy shit starts happening to him.
Pretty much, I am already hooked and a happy little camper. I really hope that the show catches on and that horror fans will help me in keeping a little bit of terror on network tv (cause I swear if another horror show is taken away from me just cause I'm to poor for cable, I'm gonna kick somebody's ass!!!) If by chance you missed it, you can head over to ABC.com (CLICK HERE) and watch both episodes FREE, as well as coming back to DBH to read up on all the new episode (I'll be writing a post for each).
No comments:
Post a Comment