Ian McArdell has always been a reviewer looking for positive aspects even when scripts were weak, but he seems to struggle with Atlantis... I agree there's a lot of familiarity [with Merlin] and I suppose prodcution wise it works. I rankle slightly at the reuse of actors in secondary roles myself... the show really needs to carve out its own path. Am trying really hard to review it on its own terms, without making comparisions. [x] The 'settling down' period is definitely over. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get a show this 'size' up and running in a rather short period of time, on the other hand they had so much experience with Merlin, most of their effort had to be put into casting the right people (Marc Addy is great, Pythagoras ok, seems they didn't chose the strongest actor to play Jason) and writing decent enough episodes.
I've only watched the first ep but from reviews I got the impression that they didn't learn a single thing from past mistakes. Basically they repeat(ed) every mistake reviewers (and fans) wouldn't tire pointing out in Merlin. Overall Atlantis is too similar to Merlin but not Merlin enough.
IMO the Js never quite understood how lucky they were with their main/supporting cast and that THEY were the main reason Merlin worked. It wasn't TPTB's eloquent writing of 'darker stories' or fancy CGI. It was Bradley's and Colin's chemistry (whether you saw them as 'just friends' or something more), it was the girls' sweetness and Tony's and Richard's amazing screen presence that made us fall in LOVE with the characters in S1, made us care for them. Yes, they 'invented' the characters in a certain way for the show (whether they were characters from the legends or original characters), but the actors brought them to life, made them believable and likeable. I don't think they quite managed that with Atlantis (will they ever?).
Atlantis premieres on BBC America this Saturday, let's see how that goes...
Certainly from the comments I've read, most would agree with you that they seem to have repeated every mistake they made with Merlin,(for example, plot holes, continuity etc - as well as not calling the dragon!!!!) mistakes which fans overlooked because the cast more than made up for them. They certainly did make us care about the characters, I don't think that was down to the script, but the actors themselves. The first season might have been cheesy, and had some weak episodes, but it certainly had charm in spades. They struck lucky with the cast in Merlin, that sort of lightning strike doesn't happen twice.
From what I understand, the process of getting Atlantis up of the ground was certainly rushed, but Merlin wasn't their first TV series, so they should know what they are doing. I"m certainly no expert, but everything I've ever read says concentrate on the scripts first, work out the "world" in which the story is set. If you are telling a good story, and have a cracking script, everything will flow from there. I think they've decided the formula was give the fangirls a bare chest and a "new Merther" (to quote the BBC) and don't worry about the rest.
I'll watch out for if and when it airs here in Oz, but I won't be watching it!
I agree there's a lot of familiarity [with Merlin] and I suppose prodcution wise it works. I rankle slightly at the reuse of actors in secondary roles myself... the show really needs to carve out its own path. Am trying really hard to review it on its own terms, without making comparisions. [x]
The 'settling down' period is definitely over. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get a show this 'size' up and running in a rather short period of time, on the other hand they had so much experience with Merlin, most of their effort had to be put into casting the right people (Marc Addy is great, Pythagoras ok, seems they didn't chose the strongest actor to play Jason) and writing decent enough episodes.
I've only watched the first ep but from reviews I got the impression that they didn't learn a single thing from past mistakes. Basically they repeat(ed) every mistake reviewers (and fans) wouldn't tire pointing out in Merlin. Overall Atlantis is too similar to Merlin but not Merlin enough.
IMO the Js never quite understood how lucky they were with their main/supporting cast and that THEY were the main reason Merlin worked. It wasn't TPTB's eloquent writing of 'darker stories' or fancy CGI. It was Bradley's and Colin's chemistry (whether you saw them as 'just friends' or something more), it was the girls' sweetness and Tony's and Richard's amazing screen presence that made us fall in LOVE with the characters in S1, made us care for them. Yes, they 'invented' the characters in a certain way for the show (whether they were characters from the legends or original characters), but the actors brought them to life, made them believable and likeable. I don't think they quite managed that with Atlantis (will they ever?).
Atlantis premieres on BBC America this Saturday, let's see how that goes...
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They struck lucky with the cast in Merlin, that sort of lightning strike doesn't happen twice.
From what I understand, the process of getting Atlantis up of the ground was certainly rushed, but Merlin wasn't their first TV series, so they should know what they are doing. I"m certainly no expert, but everything I've ever read says concentrate on the scripts first, work out the "world" in which the story is set. If you are telling a good story, and have a cracking script, everything will flow from there.
I think they've decided the formula was give the fangirls a bare chest and a "new Merther" (to quote the BBC) and don't worry about the rest.
I'll watch out for if and when it airs here in Oz, but I won't be watching it!
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