Terra Nova - First Impressions of the Pilot Episode
Disclaimer: We viewed an advanced screening of Terra Nova's first episode which may or may not be the final product that makes it to air. My comments on the episode are based on this and Pilot episodes are known to change. An actual review and recap will be written after the show airs.
Terra Nova. Steven Spielberg + dinosaurs with a dash of time travel. Hey, it's worked well before. Did the combination strike gold again?
This is all I knew about Terra Nova going in so I like to say that my first impressions weren't swayed at all. The beginning gave me Wall E vibes when we learn that once again humanity has done themselves in. The lead family gets a start at a new life 85 million years in the past. I was intrigued from the get go and really enjoyed learning about the little things humanity wouldn't be used to. Sunlight, fresh air and an orange is mind boggling to some. I enjoyed each plot and curiosity the story threw at me and I was eager to learn more. I didn't find myself confused when time travel was thrown into the mix and believe me, that usually happens.
In a rare twist for me, there's no one in the immediate cast that I dislike. Normally my bitter self zeroes in on at least one member of a cast that I choose to dislike for trivial reasons relating to their characters. I think this cast has the potential to be great. Our lead man Jason O'Mara is like the lovechild of Matthew Fox and Alex O'Loughlin. This is a very good thing. I think he has the potential to be a great leading man and I look forward to seeing more of him. I was most excited to see Landon Liboiron, whom I had known previously on Degrassi. Landon wasn't on the show long but it was extremely clear from the get go that he was destined for bigger and better things. His acting chops would never have gotten the chance to shine on a show like Degrassi and Terra Nova really gives him some room to wiggle. Naomi Scott plays his sister, pretty and geeky in a good way. I thought she was adorable.
I loved the idea of a colony of people starting over in a prehistoric world. I did wonder however why they chose that specific time period. Dinosaurs have to be somewhat of a challenge to these people. I kept waiting for them to appear. As a huge dinosaur fan, I was pretty excited. Then the first brontosaurus showed up and I was less than impressed. I told myself it could have been a fluke and maybe the dangerous dinos would be more entertaining.
Bottom line: The dinosaur effects are awful not the best. I was reminded of one of those bad SYFY original movies where the monster looks fake. Maybe I'm just more used to the realistic puppets in Jurassic Park but this CGI dinosaur thing was the one thing about the show that for me, was a major turn off. I just felt like they could have done better especially with Steven Spielberg on board. If they decide to work on anything, I hope it will be this.
Will I continue to watch? Absolutely. Bad dinos aside, the plot and cast is enough to keep me wondering and wanting more and I look forward to Terra Nova being a permanent fixture on my DVR.
From FOX:"GENESIS: PART 1" NEW ADVENTURE DRAMA "TERRA NOVA" DEBUTS WITH TWO-HOUR EVENT MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 ON FOX. MON SEP 26 8/7c