Having watched the original Primeval I was expecting substantially more out of this spin off. I don't fault the show for not being 100% consistent with the original. It's a different show on a different continent with different characters.
I have three general complaints with this version:
1.) The acting simply isn't very good. Evan will get upset when discussing his late wife. But you simply don't believe that he lost someone. Mac is supposed to be the guy that protects Evan, but you never believe that there's any real connection between the two. In order for the show to work, Mac needs to not just be doing a job, he needs to care for Evan and the rest of the team.
2. The writers seem to have looked at the original and decided to create similar characters without any thought to character development. The original had a genius/leader, so they have Evan. It had military/security person so it has Mac. They had biologist/zoologist, so they throw in Dylan. They needed a "James Lester" so they throw in Ange. There's no sense of tension within the group. There's no building of relationships among the characters. So much of a good drama is that the various characters have some chemistry. These characters have none.
3. The story is abysmal. The original had a feeling of wonder, exploration, discovery. The New World has none. A group of people discover portals through time and there's no sense of amazement? The characters are shocked for all of 5 minutes then it becomes matter of fact. They don't struggle with the implications of changing time, just accept as matter of fact that you don't do anything to alter the past. Where's the natural human temptation? Where's the fear of a creature winning out over logic? I also take issue with the believably. Yes, it's a Sci-Fi series. But to think that something this big would be happening and there's be no governmental involvement save one soldier in a office? Or that a private company would be able to do this without anyone knowing? The writers of The New World seem to have stripped Primeval of all the substance that matters and created a show that is little more than hunting monsters in various locations around Vancouver.
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After watching some additional episodes I generally stick with my original assessment. I do have to say that Toby seems to be the move developed character. You see her curiosity and her desire to see an anomaly first hand. Crystal Lowe is doing a fine job with this character. Niall Matter does seem to be giving it his all, but I still have trouble believing it.
My fears have come true, this show seems to be little more than "chase the monster of the week." While the original had a over arching theme with Helen Cutter, the New World seems quite shallow.
I have three general complaints with this version:
1.) The acting simply isn't very good. Evan will get upset when discussing his late wife. But you simply don't believe that he lost someone. Mac is supposed to be the guy that protects Evan, but you never believe that there's any real connection between the two. In order for the show to work, Mac needs to not just be doing a job, he needs to care for Evan and the rest of the team.
2. The writers seem to have looked at the original and decided to create similar characters without any thought to character development. The original had a genius/leader, so they have Evan. It had military/security person so it has Mac. They had biologist/zoologist, so they throw in Dylan. They needed a "James Lester" so they throw in Ange. There's no sense of tension within the group. There's no building of relationships among the characters. So much of a good drama is that the various characters have some chemistry. These characters have none.
3. The story is abysmal. The original had a feeling of wonder, exploration, discovery. The New World has none. A group of people discover portals through time and there's no sense of amazement? The characters are shocked for all of 5 minutes then it becomes matter of fact. They don't struggle with the implications of changing time, just accept as matter of fact that you don't do anything to alter the past. Where's the natural human temptation? Where's the fear of a creature winning out over logic? I also take issue with the believably. Yes, it's a Sci-Fi series. But to think that something this big would be happening and there's be no governmental involvement save one soldier in a office? Or that a private company would be able to do this without anyone knowing? The writers of The New World seem to have stripped Primeval of all the substance that matters and created a show that is little more than hunting monsters in various locations around Vancouver.
******************
After watching some additional episodes I generally stick with my original assessment. I do have to say that Toby seems to be the move developed character. You see her curiosity and her desire to see an anomaly first hand. Crystal Lowe is doing a fine job with this character. Niall Matter does seem to be giving it his all, but I still have trouble believing it.
My fears have come true, this show seems to be little more than "chase the monster of the week." While the original had a over arching theme with Helen Cutter, the New World seems quite shallow.