A fan of the original 1960s version of the show, I was very excited to here about Gerry Anderson's new version of Captian Scarlet. So far, it has yet to disappoint. The update is faithful to the puppet show, yet has been tweaked to give it a more modern edge.
I think the more dramatic element of the show is great - with the Love triangle between Captain Scarlet, Destiny Angel, and Captian Black. We are already seeing hints of a budding romance between Scarlet and Destiny, although the relationship will undoubtedly be a little more angst ridden after the death or her former love interest, Captain Black, also Scarlet's best friend. There is also tension between Scarlet and Captain Blue. One time buddies, but now Blue finds it hard to trust his friend, since Scarlet spent some time under the Mysterons control.
Of course the most obvious changes come in the form of a female Lieutenant Green, who was a male character in the 1960s version. Fans either will love or hate this change, but it is one that I can live with. However, with Destiny's prominence in the show perhaps there wasn't as much need to change Green's gender, as the other Angels will also feature more heavily. Destiny, herself, is leading the girl power for the show and this is welcome for the modern audience. Although in the puppet series Destiny was the female lead, her character has been much more fleshed out in the new series, and indeed she is English and not French! The show has also retained its darkness which was a part of its original appeal, indeed the Mysterons are still superbly menacing as well as cold blooded killers (they crushed a guy in a car scrap centre and blew up a bunch of air pilots). The overall show still has a dark feel, yet Skybase and all the various crafts look really effective.
Of course, there are the odd gripes. The story's move very quickly and there are a lot of prolonged car chases. The graphics, whilst great, sometimes look a bit odd (cars on the road and lip synching). But the likeness of the marionettes is great.
Overall a great show, modernised, yet faithful. Here's to the rest of the series and season two later in the year!
I think the more dramatic element of the show is great - with the Love triangle between Captain Scarlet, Destiny Angel, and Captian Black. We are already seeing hints of a budding romance between Scarlet and Destiny, although the relationship will undoubtedly be a little more angst ridden after the death or her former love interest, Captain Black, also Scarlet's best friend. There is also tension between Scarlet and Captain Blue. One time buddies, but now Blue finds it hard to trust his friend, since Scarlet spent some time under the Mysterons control.
Of course the most obvious changes come in the form of a female Lieutenant Green, who was a male character in the 1960s version. Fans either will love or hate this change, but it is one that I can live with. However, with Destiny's prominence in the show perhaps there wasn't as much need to change Green's gender, as the other Angels will also feature more heavily. Destiny, herself, is leading the girl power for the show and this is welcome for the modern audience. Although in the puppet series Destiny was the female lead, her character has been much more fleshed out in the new series, and indeed she is English and not French! The show has also retained its darkness which was a part of its original appeal, indeed the Mysterons are still superbly menacing as well as cold blooded killers (they crushed a guy in a car scrap centre and blew up a bunch of air pilots). The overall show still has a dark feel, yet Skybase and all the various crafts look really effective.
Of course, there are the odd gripes. The story's move very quickly and there are a lot of prolonged car chases. The graphics, whilst great, sometimes look a bit odd (cars on the road and lip synching). But the likeness of the marionettes is great.
Overall a great show, modernised, yet faithful. Here's to the rest of the series and season two later in the year!