What a terrible show. Ian and I suffered through the first hour, watched maybe 15 or 20 minutes of the second hour and gave up. Jim Caviezel is no Patrick McGoohan, and Ian McKellan just seems weird and crazy rather than crazy and sinister.
Visually the little desert town was far less interesting then Portmeirion. It looked tired and run down, and the old style cars made me think they were in Cuba. Which I suppose could have been a metaphor or something, but if they were trying to make a point I missed it. I found the dialogue to be turgid and plodding. Maybe it’s just the veil and fog of years, but I remember the dialogue in the original Prisoner to be rapier-like.
In the old Prisoner you knew that Number Six had some information that they desperately wanted, and so there was tension. Would they fool him? Would they find a way to break him.
In this current incarnation I have no idea what Number Six did prior to ending up in the Village. He could have been a banker or an accountant for all the clues you’re given in that first hour plus. Since I don’t know he was a spy, and since I don’t know he has information they want, there is zero tension. And the scenes of him driving the tour bus were just moronic.
Mad Men is a fascinating series (even though I can’t watch it because it’s a flashback to my childhood, and being constantly told, “But girl’s can’t do that.” but I digress). Point is that AMC has had a big miss with this mini-series.
On Saturday I went off and bought Halo 1 and 2. They were used so the financial hit wasn't too bad, and I couldn't wait to start at the beginning and get the whole story. One problem, the controls were slightly different on the X-Box versus the X-Box 360. So things that had become second nature in Halo 3 now required me to think and relearn.
I was less then adroit at that attempt. For example we were entering this building. Very dark, very steep ramps leading to the control room. I went to turn on my flashlight. In Halo 1 you use the left bumper rather than these buttons on the top of the controls. I remembered that at the last moment, but fat fingered, and ended up hitting the left _trigger_. Which threw a grenade, but since I was in this really small space it sort of landed at my feet. So, I blew myself up. My shields came back, but my health was really whacked.
I started carefully down the ramps. Ian, who had slipped/jumped to the bottom said to me, "Just jump. You'll take a little hit on your shields, but you'll be fine." I don't think he realized I had dropped a grenade at my own feet and _blown myself up_.
So I jumped and I died. Then all the aliens in the world swarmed out, and I had to wait to respawn until he had shot them and made a safe and happy place for the Master Chief to return.
I laughed so hard over this, that I was literally crying. I dread to see the changes when we go to Halo 2. I'll have to learn something all over again. Oh, and I suck at driving. I can fly the planes and drive the tank, but this warthog thing is really hard to control.
Putting aside the game neep, the writer/producer has to say how much the graphics in these games is improving. The difference between Halo 1 and Halo 3 is profound.
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