When I first heard about Heroes, and that it was about superheroes, but without the costumes and
secret identities, I decided that it just wasn’t for me. Call me old-fashioned, but I always preferred the
traditional comic book superhero fantasy, such as Batman. I’ve had my fill of
this recent revisionist trend that has afflicted
super heroic productions.
Although, lately, the wall I’ve built up against this trend has begun to crack.
I’ve since discovered that I’ve actually enjoyed Smallville--thanks mainly to
Allison Mack’s engaging performance as Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent’s charming
sidekick. And I’m also a huge, huge fan of Birds Of Prey, the girl powered super
heroic fantasy series that was unfortunately cancelled before its time. Produced
by some of the Smallville creative team, BOP also firmly had the "no superhero
costume" rule, yet it was still a barrel of fun.
The wall that I put up against these types of shows finally crumbled when I was discussing with a friend how
popular superhero movies/TV shows are these days. When the conversation came to
Heroes--which I confessed to still haven’t seen at that point--he mentioned how
strange this was, since I loved Unbreakable. Ah,
yes…Unbreakable, the marvelous
superhero film with Bruce Willis that wasn’t really a superhero film in the
traditional sense. Willis is just a regular schmo who discovers that he is
invulnerable, along with possessing super strength. And while its main character
never puts on a conventional superhero costume, Unbreakable still contains all
of the mythic touch points of the superhero fantasy. So, too, does Heroes. Just
like Unbreakable, the ordinary people who populate Heroes begin to realize that
they are not so ordinary after all.
A high school cheerleader from Texas named Claire discovers she has
extraordinary healing powers--to the point where she’s invincible. A young Las
Vegas mother named Nikki realizes that she possesses another, darker side
whenever she glances in a mirror. Matt, a uniformed police officer, is stuck
directing traffic in Los Angles, until he uncovers the ability to read other
people’s minds. A Tokyo officer worker is stuck in cubicle hell--until he
discovers that he can stop time itself. And then there’s Sylar, a young man who
goes around killing other special people so that he can absorb their powers and
thus make himself even more special. Sylar is proof that not all of these people
with special abilities are good and decent, and before the season is over, the
decent ones will have to band together to fight a plot that involves the
destruction of New York City.
Created by Tim Kring, whose previous series before this was the overwhelmingly
bland criminal procedural Crossing Jordan,
Heroes isn’t just a rip off of
Unbreakable--nor is it as good as that film:
Heroes is actually much, much
better. Kring and his writers take a time-worn concept and remake it into a fresh,
thrilling ride; it’s like a great book that you can’t put down, no matter how
late the hour. The first season of Heroes is essentially the classic hero’s
quest--both to find himself (and herself), as well as to find their place within
a world that’s very reluctant to accept them. It’s an epic story with
sympathetic heroes, and equally fascinating villains, who are all brought to
vivid life, thanks to some great writing and acting.
The cast is superb, led by the marvelous Masi Oka, who plays the extremely
sympathetic (and ironically named) Hiro who can time travel. Jack Coleman is
also great as Noah Bennet, a determined character that’s shrouded in shades of
gray, but you’re still fascinated by him. Greg Grunberg also does a great job
playing Matt, the compassionate cop who can read minds. And Ali Larter runs at
full tilt with her evil twin plotline; her performance and great screen presence
keeps her story from devolving into a bad soap opera. Hayden Panettiere is also
good as Claire, who--like Wolverine of the X-Men--is gifted with the power of
super healing. And Adrian Pasdar is solid as Nathan Petrelli, the politico
wannabe with dreams of soaring to new heights, who can actually fly.
The series hits the ground running from its pilot, and has a confidence in its
storytelling that's very rare to see--especially in the first season of a series. However, there are times when,
as mentioned with the Ali Larter storyline, that things get a little soap opera-ish,
but the writers always manage to pull us back from the brink before things get
too soapy. Another problem I have is the blatant product placement, such as with
a certain car that Hiro drives--the mere presence of which wouldn't be so bad,
but the writers have Hiro keep mentioning the name of the vehicle, over and over
again. Have things gone so badly for the broadcast networks that they now have to resort
to ad placement within their own shows to this extent, now?
The DVD set contains all of the episodes in the entire first season, and this is
really the best way to watch this series--without commercial interupption, and
with the option of watching as many episodes you wish in one sitting. This is a
big help because Heroes tells its complex story in the serial format, with the
episodes blending into one another (which makes it hard for me to select a favorite
episode--that, as well as the fact that they're all very good). The special features
include plenty of commentaries and behind the scenes features. And there's also a
special 73 minute cut of the pilot episode which is not to be missed. Thanks to
its well-done story and superb acting, Heroes has certainly made a believer of me.
--SF
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