Terra Nova

Hey MoFos!

I'm curious to see what everyone thinks of "Terra Nova." I watched the 2-hour premiere last night, and so far I'm pretty intrigued.

Here are some quick little thoughts I'd like to share:

- I like the overlying premise of the show. Humans destroy the planet and are forced to create a new civilization in the past - pretty interesting concept.

- Visually, this show has impressed me. I was afraid the dinosaurs would be too CGI-ish but they're not half bad. I also like that there are new dinosaurs (like the Slasher and Carnotaurus).

- I'm not too keen on the family drama aspect, but I suppose it's necessary to keep the show interesting. It's just a bit cliche - you have the teenage son who's pissed about leaving his girlfriend behind, the nerdy tweenage daughter who gets stuck taking care of the youngest daughter, the do-good doctor wife who just wants a fresh start, and the ex-cop hubby with the stick up his a**.

- Lovin' Stephen Lang! He's probably the most interesting/badass person in the show so far.

- The Sixers are an interesting addition. All season I will be wondering if they are good or evil.

The best way I can describe the series (so far) is that it's a combination of "Jurassic Park" and "Lost." We'll have to see how the rest of the series plays out, but I have high hopes!

Did anyone else check it out? What do you think so far?

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It's already the end of September!?! TV shows are starting up again!?! I've gotta get my head out of the ground and turn off the DVD player.

Saw it. Mixed feelings. Not loving the family, and yes, the kid is incredibly cliche and annoying. He has no perspective. They just went back in time. Forget your petty grudges with your dad, dude. They never made sense to begin with, anyway.

I like the premise and the potential, and the effects looked good. But I really feel they're moving too fast. All this stuff about the "real reason" Terra Nova was created is the kind of stuff a more careful, viable show would introduce several episodes from now. I feel like they're trying extremely hard to get those curiosity/mystery hooks into viewers, even though they really should be focusing on establishing the new world and having them deal with basic problems for a few episodes.

So, I have doubts about the show long-term, because it seems impatient, but I'll keep watching for now.

Totally agree with you, Yoda. I hate that they spelled it out at the end, when Mira was at the falls. They definitely should have waited on this bit.

I liked it, but I feel aspects of it are trying to be another LOST too much.

It's starting here next week, so will take a look - it's not something that has got me excited about it though from the trailers and so on.

The premise seems like they've pulled popular ideas out of a hat and bunched them together. The trailer didn't seem to present a particularly unique vision

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I havent seen it yet, but Im dying to --and will probably stream it online somewhere to catch up. I like post-apocalyptic, so I'm inclined to like the show, but given what happened with Falling Skies, Im remaining skeptical until given sufficient proof to feel otherwise. The jury was out for me when I read the synopsis.

However, from what you say, it sounds like another Falling Skies, complete with whiny children. FAIL. Why, for once, cant the children be down to earth, have their head on straight, know how to handle a gun, not be too mouthy, and actually "get" the big picture? It pains me that literally EVERY family most television producers can imagine has idiots for children. In these types of climes, idiots die. Its like these families come straight out of a cheesy 80s horror film, and walk blindly into certain death, all the while complaining about something inconsequential.

Ok. I ranted. But with good reason. These writers lack subtlety. I honestly feel that they are missing the mark on these types of shows by making the entire show's obvious focal point the family relationship ----when the viewers are so obviously drawn to the show because they are intrigued by the apocalyptic setting and the survival aspect. We all know what a family drama is - multitude of shows set in the present era have that going on already. Why do we need to "recreate" that same trite approach in a post apocalyptic show? FAIL.

I want to see a sober-minded child (or children) who can wield a gun, and has his/her head on straight - or at least as straight as anyone under 20 can. THEN, and only then, can we get down to some real brass tacks about the environment, the locale, the reasons behind why they're there, and ---wait for it-----REAL emotional issues that arent trite or cliche. ijs.

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something witty goes here......

Neeeeever gonna happen, Mack. There's no drama there and we know that audiences won't wait for the development needed.

I've not watched this, because the title made me think of Earth 2 and that was more than enough to put me off. Then a friend read me a brief synopsis and it sounded like dinosaurs were in the offing. Again, more than enough to put me off.

I don't know about this, but the friend who was reading the synopsis told me that it reminded him of some story from 2000AD. I can't remember what he said it was called, but he's a big sci-fi geek and the more he read the more he said it sounded like it.

He's not watching this... Yet. He has a rule that he only watches an American programme after it's been on for 2 seasons, as he's sick of getting into something and then having it finish after 8 episodes or a season or something like that.

He broke his rule this year... With The Chicago Code. He was not happy when I told him.

Well, there ya go. I finally watched it, and it seemed like Primeval, except backwards. Instead of the dinos coming thru a hole, the humans can through a hole on the dinos. It wasnt too bad

The kid is less whiny in the second episode.

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If I had a dollar for every existential crisis I've ever had, does money really even matter?

I don't think I will continue watching this show. Last night's episode was hard to get through. It's only Episode 3 and already it felt like a filler.

Plus, I just can't wrap my head around the fact that the writers of the show thought it would be a good idea to send people back 85 million years in order to save mankind...right before a mass extinction. The dinosaurs didn't survive, remember?! How can mankind? Kind of a huge plot hole for me.

I really thought this show would be better...

I'm pretty sure it's going to be another 20 million years before the astroid hits. Which is more than enough time since we haven't been around for that long.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Again, I'm only going on what my friend said, but haven't they done back on a different timeline? I remember him saying that'll be how they've gotten around the causality arguements that time travel films/stories have. Also, as TUS said, they've given themselves 20 million years 'breathing room'. Plus, they've already exploited a rip or created a time machine or whatever they've done. So they can always skip forwards a few million years.

I'd also point out that humans and dinosaurs are very different things. Our brains and the fact that we 'know' that our food chain survived, means that it's possible that humans could survive. However, I understand your reasoning but, again, it's dramatic purposes. If they sent them back after the extinction, then they would't have the dinosaur/prehistoric monster angle to sell it on. I don't see voles or other small mammals cutting it with viewers Stateside.

Mmkay, that at least makes more sense. I guess I don't recall that being mentioned in the show.

I watched the first episode last night. It'd be a cool show if it wasn't so lame.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

I saw the premiere and thought to myself. Self, (I said) when FOX cancels this in about 5 more weeks, I'll actually agree with them for a change. If you like, I bet Yoda and I can rub our brains together and tell you all exactly what's going to happen in the next few weeks before it gets cancelled. It won't be hard to figure out. At all.

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

I understand this stuff, however, getting picky about something like this, when you're prepared to go with the premise of the programme always comes across as silly to me. However, I know plenty of sci-fi geeks/fans who'd agree with that and a plethora of other (IMO) pointless sci-fi inaccuracies.

If the show was any good, these inaccuracies wouldn't even matter.