Advance Review: Few ideas are original, but the first episode of the new Syfy show Defiance relies heavily upon tropes and archetypes to introduce its new world. You have a reluctant hero who feels like Han Solo, a pair of star-crossed lovers that feel like they were written by Shakespeare — hell, you even have a species that’s the equivalent of Wookiees. Unoriginality alone doesn’t mean a bad story, but Defiance stumbles when it becomes utterly predictable, with some cliche and downright cheesy dialogue that crosses the line between charmingly campy and cringe-inducing.
Defiance is set on a not-too-distant Earth where humans and a number of alien species collectively known as the Votan have reached an armistice after many years of war. Earth has been partially terraformed, and in the aftermath of the war the various species of the world try to scratch out a living in a world that’s more akin the American frontier than the future. More specifically, they’re trying to make things work in the titular city of Defiance, named after a key battle in Earth’s past where the aliens and humans both decided to stop fighting and end the violence. It’s a setup that’s right up my alley, and immediately familiar as a fan of Firefly. The initial exposition doesn’t waste any time, either, instead just launching you into the future after only the briefest of introductions. It works in this case because bits and pieces of the world’s backstory are presented throughout the rest of the episode, but it leaves just enough unanswered questions to make me want to learn more.
Defiance: Series Premiere Review
No comments:
Post a Comment