Air Date: Monday, September 26, 2011, 8/7c
Jim Shannon wearing a "re-breather"
This show truly is Jurassic Park meets 24 with a bit of family drama thrown in. There are dinosaurs and suspense which almost strangles you with anticipation. The first 18 minutes are gripping. We’re dropped into the year 2149. The sky is gray and smog polluted, and floating billboards remind citizens about the importance of population control: “Four is a family.” No one goes out without breathing devices called “re-breathers,” and apartments (any place for that matter) typically don’t operate without air purifiers. Hold on tight because Terra Nova takes you for a thrilling ride. And that’s only the first hour.
“Jim… we did the right thing, didn’t we? Coming here?” Dr. Elizabeth Shannon (Shelley Conn) asks this of her husband Jim (Jason O’Mara), who’s a cop. His career is something we don’t forget (he won’t let us forget) because it’s in his mannerisms. I think it’ll pay off for his family in the long run though. There are quite a few touching moments just within the opening scenes. You get the sense that nothing matters but family with the Shannons and they will do whatever is necessary to ensure they stick together. I will admit to getting a little teary-eyed when five-year-old Zoe (Alana Mansour) calls Jim “daddy” after not seeing him since she was three. He thought she had forgotten who he was. It is a poignant moment and one which helped me to fall in love with the dramatic aspects of the show. There is action aplenty but I get the feeling I’m watching Jurassic Park, the futuristic version. There is an influx of high-tech gadgets, a few dinosaurs here and there, and the time-travel aspect. It feels familiar, yet fresh. The new colony seems completely functional as it sits, yet I keep wondering why the gates aren’t made of fortified steel, 100 feet high, and covered in electric pulses. Have they forgotten there are dinosaurs roaming around? Carnivorous dinosaurs, at that. I was ready to hop out of my seat when Zoe approaches one of the herbivores, even knowing he wouldn’t eat her. It’s just my innate response to not want to play with a dinosaur. They’re huge and powerful beasts. I can admit, they are beautiful creatures when they’re not trying to eat you.
The Shannon family: Jim, Josh, Maddy, Zoe and Elizabeth
Let me back up a bit. The Shannon family consists of dad Jim, mom Elizabeth, super smart sister Maddy (Naomi Scott), troublesome brother Josh (Landon Liboiron), and little Zoe. They are your typical family except they have broken the rules by having one child too many. This is what gets them into trouble and sets events in motion that may tear the family apart. Elizabeth is given the opportunity to escape 22nd century hell and take her family to a place where they can breathe fresh, clean air and have fruit. (Yes, it’s that big a deal to have fruit.) We may take these things for granted now, but once you see the conditions of earth in that day and age, I think it’ll change your mind as well. Cue in the action and suspense I spoke of and the family’s journey to Terra Nova. There we meet Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang), your typical military man, who runs the colony like a dictatorship. At least, that’s my first impression, though I’m inclined to like Taylor. I get the feeling he knows more than he’s telling anyone about what’s going on (as I’m sure you will too) and he may need more men like Jim—cops. The fact that there is a group of renegade pilgrims (called Sixers) on the loose doesn’t really make the brochure for Terra Nova pretty. Who wants to leave the familiar smog-infested earth they know of the 22nd century, for one that has the same human troubles 85 million years in the past? I am curious about the Sixers and think it may be a while before we find out their true purpose on Terra Nova. I picture Jim infiltrating the group and becoming one of them once he learns whatever truths they hold. It might have to do with getting back to their own time because, of course, the trip to Terra Nova is one way. You can’t go back. Then again, why would anyone want to?
The mysterious Commander Nathaniel Taylor
What I like most about Terra Nova: the CGI effects are superb. I’d like to think they could be better, but this is prime-time television, not a movie, so I don’t expect too much in the way of perfection when it comes to graphics. A few mysteries are injected into the mix with the introduction of the Sixers’ leader, Mira (Christine Adams). No one knows why they are there or how they exist outside the gates of the compound. Also, Jim’s son Josh makes a discovery while hanging out with new friends—strange symbols etched on rock formations outside of the gates. They look alien, but this isn’t The X-Files. If you’re a stickler for details, don’t fret. The Terra Nova settlement is on a different time-wave. Meaning, whatever happens in the past won’t affect the future they’ve all come from. Because I totally expected that to be the premise of the show. All in all, “Genesis: Part 1” is good and entertaining. Just wait until you see the dinosaurs.
Tune in to the two-hour series premiere of Terra Nova, Monday, September 26th at 8/7c on Fox. For more on the show, visit http://www.fox.com/terranova/.
Photos courtesy of ©2011 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Brook Rushton/FOX
This screener was a perk from Klout. Who knew having KLOUT would be so rewarding? http://cmp.ly/2/va
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