|
And the attempts at a spin-off failed.
Miserably.
Now normally, pilots are vastly
different from the actual series, since they're
basically filmed months before, and when picked up, are
mildly retooled. Sets are changed, characters styles
differ, and so on. So, how much of what we see here may
have actually made it into the remainder of the series
would be up for argument, but "Aquaman" lays down the
groundwork for a larger more action packed series that's
a mixture of "Jag", "Baywatch", and--well--Aquaman.
Whether or not Aquaman has a fan base
is debatable, but the potential for this show was
something the CW was hoping would eventually land them
in a double dose of superhero melodrama trying to team
it up with "Smallville". And the downfall of "Aquaman"
is just that. It's the exact formula of "Smallville".
Young superhero, learning his ropes, tries to discover
where he came from, how can deal with it, and tries to
live in our world at the same time. "Aquaman" is
basically a "Smallville" carbon copy now dealing with
Arthur Curry's journey in his world, instead of Clark
Kent.
Further proof of this
comment is an ancient home world, the loss of a parental
figure which make up our hero's journey of
self-discovery, his father's lecturing of his potential,
his love interest who is basically exotic, our hero
wears clothes that reflect his future costume colors,
and the hero is an adopted child. While copies don't
always fail, the fact that "Aquaman" sank is probably a
reflection on the series' insistence to copy "Smallville"
and its script almost point for point. But there are
many possible theories. Maybe the CW just didn't have
enough confidence in the character, and or perhaps they
felt they'd spawn another "Birds of Prey".
Arthur Curry is now
called AC (shortened for zing) and lost his mother when
he was a child while flying over the ocean. The plane
fell to the water, and his mother forced AC to leave
while he swam back to shore, but not before seeing a
mysterious figure grab her and drag her down. Before he
escaped, AC was given a seahorse necklace by his mother,
one that lights up whenever a mysterious ray bursts from
the ocean to snatch pilots, and one that was just found
on a mysterious swimmer in the middle of the ocean.
Save for many kinks and
flaws, "Aquaman" possibly could have elevated beyond its
traps and become a fun series, one that could have
served to be a hit. It's fun, and pretty gorgeous to
look at with oceanic scenery, and gorgeous
cinematography, but with the budget, that would have
eventually changed. The pilot signals towards bigger
storylines involving the military, sea monsters, and a
possible invasion by Aquaman's people; it reflects much
of his cynicism he'd gain late in his life.
People hoping to see a
lot from this one episode will be surely satisfied. So
much happens in only forty minutes and the story is
tight enough to be compacted in such a short time. The
writers also manage to do double duty by implanting
Arthur with a large knowledge of the military and its
sea going technology which allows Arthur the ability to
work around them to pursue his own exploits, but it also
provides him with the knowledge when he one day becomes
an opponent for the land going humans. Not many people
are aware of Aquaman lore, so that advantage would have
allowed for much improvising and starting from scratch
with little fan backlash. The writers had carte blanche
on new villains, new characters and plots that would
differ from the comic books.
Not to mention, Hartley
is a likable polar opposite to Clark Kent. He's
confident, charismatic, loves his abilities, and is more
accepting of his fate. Hartley's performance and
handling of the character is decent, and he would have
made the series much better. But beyond the almost
obscure lore, the writers seem to be following the
comics. Arthur's character traits are basically there,
he works with a triton for the first time ever, he has
the potential to be royalty, and someone from his world
is trying to capture him and kill him--presumably a
family member who wants to usurp his future throne. It's
loyal to the lore, that's for sure.
However. much of the
flaws are clearly present, thus bringing this only three
notches above a typical episode of "Baywatch Nights".
Most of all the acting, which is often very weak from
the entire cast bring down an otherwise entertaining
episode. Everyone except Hartley and Phillips seems to
be either performing at over the top levels, or droning
around without much to do. Ving Rhames is one who seems
to be forcing out his lines which is evident and
distracting since he plays a very important part in the
forming of Aquaman.
Had the CW fixed these
problems, and basically used the pilot to form a more
unique and entertaining view on this character, "Aquaman"
would have been a decent ratings grabber. It's a fun
series, and worth a gander and consideration by
networks. I enjoyed it for what it presented to us as
possibilities in one episode for the entire series. I
would loved to have seen the person or persons trying to
bring Aquaman to his death to take over his throne.
But the question remains: Will the series ever be picked up
since there's a sudden resurgence in the Aquaman world?
Probably. Gough and Millar are willing to shop it to
other networks interested in it, but if it is ever
picked up, odds are it will differ greatly from what we
see now. I wouldn't hold my breath. But if I had to
guess, I'd say "Aquaman" will remain in limbo
forever, to circulate on comic conventions and bootlegs
much like the "Dark Shadows" pilot the CW also never picked
up. Such is Aquaman's fate.
But if you're looking for this pilot
to judge for yourself, it's out there. You just have to
fish around for it.
He
can hold his breath for a long time!
|
