The CW’s ‘Arrow’: Not Quite A Bulls Eye, But Not Far From The Mark
Not too long ago we posted a review of the pilot for CW’s Arrow. The review wasn’t too positive but regardless I decided to give the show a “shot” tonight. Upon actually watching I definitely disagree with the review. The show definitely isn’t a bulls eye but I don’t think it’s far from the mark and has potential. The thing that some comic fans may miss is that we aren’t the only demographic out there. So, how exactly do you strike a balance between bringing in television audiences that have most likely never even heard of Green Arrow while also attracting fans of the source material? It’s a hard feat to accomplish at times especially with TV budgets.
And sure the pilot does lean at bringing in some new viewers for the show by giving it a CW feel to it. Keep in mind however that the CW feel isn’t too strong that it overpowers the vibe of the show. There are plenty of nods to get fans excited throughout the entire episode as well. The subtle touches that the series seems like it will have will keep the every day audience interested in the story and comic fans interested to see where they go with these characters and interpritations. They appear to be making an effort to keep both audiences happy while not overwhelming or underserving either group.
The series premiere does a great job at grabbing new viewers by introducing them to Oliver Queen’s backstory while not boring them and moving forward with the story at the same time. They did a great job of making quick work of the basics of the story, Oliver Queen is a billionaire playboy who was stranded on an island for five years and presumed dead, and now he’s back in Starling City (Yes, we know it’s not the same city name. Get over it.), and then allowed to establish him as the vigilante hero of the city. They did a pretty neat job of an origin in one episode without actually making it feel too rushed.
Under his new alias, Oliver is hunting down folks from a list of names supplied by his father, which apparently took place before commiting suicide before him, a point that even I got a tad lost on. But moving on…these people are all the people who have screwed up Starling City in one way or another, with the implied aid of the Queen family fortune.
So, let us get this one out in the open. They are definitely trying to Nolan this. And why wouldn’t you? DC has had some of their best success under the work of the man. The thing is they do this and many fans may cry foul but I guess you guys really don’t know the back story on Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. When Oliver Queen appeared in 1941, he was basically just Batman in a Robin Hood get up. Queen was a billionaire playboy who fought crime as a hobby after surviving on desert island. He had a ward, who was also his sidekick, sound familiar? The only really difference was that that he didn’t have the dead parents to give him that spark. Well, that’s one difference they changed in the show.
Stephen Arnell succeeds at bringing Oliver Queen to life. He definitely does a great job in the role and there’s small things that you notice that make it even better.For example, if you pay really close attention you will notice that Oliver moves quite differently pre and post island. It’s a nice touch. Another thing to note is that there is this distinct lack of comfort to Amell’s performance that really helps ground the character. The rest of the cast is pretty good but nothing amazing. Katie Cassidy as Laurel has the most potential of the rest of the cast but we haven’t seen it yet to be honest. Another thing worth noting is that the premier heavily benefits from David Nutter’s directing. He seemed to make sure that the scenes were visually striking regardless of how much or how little action was taking place in them.
Of course the show had it’s share of bad things in it. Don’t get me wrong. The CGI was just awful in general. You would expect Warner Bros. to put a little more into a property like this as far as that goes. It is really bad. And I definitely was not a fan of the voiceovers in the series. But when it comes down to it, Arrow is definitely a show with potential to appeal to both fans of the comics as well as people who have zero clue who Green Arrow is. I sat down and watched the pilot with my mom who even agreed that she could see herself watching the show again. And in all honesty, I know I am sticking around at least until the episode where Deathstroke makes his appearance.
