Rating: 6/10
It’s easy to see why this storyline has had so many remakes. It’s a strong storyline, appealing to men and women, with a strong female lead in an action role. Not the standard fare at all, as there are still sadly all too few female action roles around, on TV or in film. (Probably one of the reasons many of us had such high hopes of the Bionic Woman remake, sadly canned at the end of season 1.)
And this isn’t a bad revisiting. Or is it reimagination we’re supposed to say now? In fact, if you’d not seen any of the previous outings, I can see why you would really enjoy it. It’s well put together, with a good looking cast, excellent effects, and glossy shots.
In fact, that’s my main quibble.
It’s a bit too glossy. It’s all a bit neat, and tidy, and clean. I miss the grittiness of the original, or even the desperation of the last US series, which was a bit grey and dirty and down at heel. The plot is just as convoluted as it’s ever been (in fact I assume the plot is pretty much identical as all the character names are the same, leading to an odd feeling of deja vue), although it’s odd coming in half way through, or that’s how it feels. There is a fashion for conspiracy theory though nowadays, and this series fits in well with that, although it isn’t quite up to the level of the sadly cancelled Dollhouse. I do wish that there were some commissioning editors with guts out there.
So, if you haven’t seen previous films/ series and you’re enjoying this, I’d say keep watching. It is well made and well worth a look. But if you feel that there might be a little something missing, you could do a lot worse than looking up the original.
It's Got: Full on action with Maggie Q
It Needs: A bit of grit and oomph.
Summary
If you’ve seen it before, then you’ve really seen it before. If you haven’t, it’s worth seeing now.