Reviewing Movies

The thing that caught my eye here was the fact that the series stars Noah Wyle. After spending 15 years on the series ER one had to figure the next major TV Series he chose to attach his name and reputation to would be good. I waited for the price to come down before buying. That this is a another post apocalyptic tale of alien invasion, think V, was not an immediate turnon but the strength of this series is not in the battle sequences between man and alien but in the relationships between people.

Wyle’s Tom has three sons. The rather mature looking 16-year-old Hal played by stunningly handsome 25-year-old Drew Roy. His nine-year-old Matt whom Tom is attempting to allow to retain his childhood, people grow up too fast in refugee camps. And twelve or so Ben who is enslaved by alien technology. Tom we learn repeatedly was an American History Professor before his world fell apart and his wife was killed. He is second in command to a cell of 100 soldiers and 200 civilians commanded by the rather militaristic Will Paton who looks after his soldiers and considers the civilians a liability. Throw in a female doctor as Tom’s potential love interest and a surgeon who abandoned Tom’s wife to her death and you have the principal characters. I was surprised to see Wyle resort to fisticuffs, he looks more at home cuddling his young son and hugging the teen. The scene which shows Hal cradling his brother Matt in his sleep is poignant.

The upright walking 8-legged aliens must have been a challenge to the robotics department. What do you do with eight legs? Their warrior robots clomp around on two hooves that leave tracks not unlike the T-Rex’s in Jurassic Park. And then there are the flying ships that shoot off massive plasma bombs.

If you don’t mind the Sc-Fi aspects of the series this is an excellent show.