![]() ![]() Another group seems to desperately want to look at the actual product solely on its own, and simply ask whether or not it meets minimum standards of entertainment (even though the plot arc for the whole season is already known if you read the book or saw the movie) and seem especially annoyed that we the viewers keep insisting on more.? If I didn't know better, I would venture that my original POV represents the "populist" position, ie, that fans who have supported the author and his character for decades actually DESERVE a production which respects their wants, hopes and aspirations. A large number of IMDb members (presumably other lifelong Swagger "fans") seemed to have agreed with my viewpoint. Revisiting my original review and the other critiques, I can see two opposing points of view forming. ![]() _ ** REVIEWERS' ADDENDUM 12/28/16 ** Films and indeed film reviewers ultimately have to live in the real world. But the omens and portents suggest otherwise. This show might become better with age, like wine. As I said, first reviews are usually one fan trying to hook another. Even the music - a constant drone through the entire first episode meant to convey suspense - is annoying. Assuming for example that the hit TV action series BANSHEE is currently the "gold standard" for a male-oriented action show, SHOOTER in contrast comes in weak on story, weak on writing, weak on casting, weak on acting, and weak on direction. To be really clear - there is nothing inherently wrong with trying to make something better, assuming of course you do not end up making it worse in the process. In other words, the current story and the characters driving this series are less about the original Stephen Hunter character, and more the kind of thing you would expect from focus groups. Bob Lee's "friend" at the FBI, Nick Memphis, has also been re-imagined - from a man to a woman. Now Bob Lee is very young and graceful, already married (not so in the book) and, as portrayed by Ryan Phillipe, something of a pretty boy and a smartass at the same time. This new TV series re-imagines the already-reimagined character from the Hollywood version. The movie was a mild commercial success but fans of the original hated it and believed it could have been so much better if the original template had been followed. Hollywood came knocking but found the character as written did not fit their "star mould." So Hollywood re-imagined the core story (from the first book in the series) with Bob Lee as a much younger, shorter, big city type hero, no accent, and cast Mark Wahlberg in the lead. He is, and will always be, a wonderful read. His fans to this day still cannot get enough of Bob Lee. ![]() Hunter even tried to phase Bob Lee out completely and start a brand new series based on Bob Lee's son. Hunter was so overpowered by the strong response to Bob Lee that he actually tried to hobble his character through the series of later novels (Bob aged quickly, he was wounded, beaten, crippled, etc.). The character was a surprise smash hit, much like the Bourne character in the popular series of movies was equally a "surprise" to his original creator. (Some of the book reviews called Swagger "the greatest" American hero in modern fiction.) 2. A top-tier fiction writer named Stephen Hunter over a long period of years penned a series of books about a character he created, one Bob Lee Swagger, a tall rangy ex-Gunnery Sergeant with a deep southern drawl, probably one of the greatest snipers on the planet, and a true American hero. First, let's start with the REAL backstory. What this IS is a review that will tell you what the show was trying to do and why, in the opinion of this reviewer, it is not succeeding as well as intended. I "get" that it is a time-honored tradition on IMDb that the first reviewers of any new series are usually fans in the making who have fallen in love with the show and want to sound the trumpet for others to follow. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |