FOX TV Terra Nova

Syaron · October 01, 2011, 06:37:29 AM

Is there an open discussion yet on the new Fox TV program "Terra Nova"? I want to wade in if there is. If not I am starting this one.

IMHO besdes being a ripoffed off Avatar without the good things like the Na'vi, Hometree and Eywa (so far)Terra Nova has some glaringly bad things....Taylor/Quaritch (sp)played by the excellent actor Steven Lang but is pretty much a softer version of himself, rebellious teenagers(still have not resolved that problem in 2139 or just a few years shy os the 2154 of Avatar) and dinosaurs instead of ikran. I hope this thing gets better. But either way it is like watching probably what it is..a made for tv version of Avatar dreamed up by someone without the depth of James Cameron. (Please dont tell me he had a hand in anything to do with this!)

Pleas edirect me to the discussion if there is one.
Thanks!

Syaron

Yayo · October 01, 2011, 06:53:14 AM

Quote from: Syaron on October 01, 2011, 06:37:29 AM
Is there an open discussion yet on the new Fox TV program "Terra Nova"? I want to wade in if there is. If not I am starting this one.

IMHO besdes being a ripoffed off Avatar without the good things like the Na'vi, Hometree and Eywa (so far)Terra Nova has some glaringly bad things....Taylor/Quaritch (sp)played by the excellent actor Steven Lang but is pretty much a softer version of himself, rebellious teenagers(still have not resolved that problem in 2139 or just a few years shy os the 2154 of Avatar) and dinosaurs instead of ikran. I hope this thing gets better. But either way it is like watching probably what it is..a made for tv version of Avatar dreamed up by someone without the depth of James Cameron. (Please dont tell me he had a hand in anything to do with this!)

Pleas edirect me to the discussion if there is one.
Thanks!

Syaron

HAHA! I totally agree. I don't know about the advert for the series in the US but the one here opens with Jungle and a voice over of "Welcome to Terranova". Then giant text is relayed upon the screen that says "Enter the World". I believe that it has been advertised similarly to Avatar but the plot is noticably different. What I wonder is why they have chosen the mesotoic/prehistoric (I really don't know the progressive eras) era? Why not Elizabethan England, before the industrial revolution?

Syaron · October 01, 2011, 08:27:49 AM

SPOILERS!!!

I think the reason they did not chose other eras WAS indeed the similarity to Pandora...pristine sweeping vistas, heroic sweeling music, misty waterfalls, epic wildlife...hmmmm....and some of the creatures...slasher=palulakan? Flyinf dions in the distance...do we see dino riders in the offing?

Yayo · October 01, 2011, 08:32:47 AM

So, because the US always get programs before us, I presume you've watched a bit of it already?

Syulang · October 01, 2011, 10:43:02 AM

I've seen the ads for that here, first show is supposed to be tomorrow evening. Lol, I heard 'welcome to Terra Nova' and was like 'That's so similar to Avatar'. Looks a bit interesting, I might watch it.

Yayo · October 01, 2011, 10:45:47 AM

Quote from: Syulang on October 01, 2011, 10:43:02 AM
I've seen the ads for that here, first show is supposed to be tomorrow evening. Lol, I heard 'welcome to Terra Nova' and was like 'That's so similar to Avatar'. Looks a but interesting, I might watch it.

Yeah, just what I was thinking too.

Amaya · October 01, 2011, 11:40:06 AM

Sure it's derivative, and yes there is T33n!Angst(tm) but it's also just fun, and call me crazy but I quite enjoyed Steven Lang's character, mostly because he's what I think Q probably would have started out as before life and PTSD made him all evil

ANYWAY, the point of this posting is to say that I'm watching Terra Nova and will continue to watch it, at least for now, and I'm keeping an open mind, deliberately doing my best NOT to draw parallels with AVTR.

Syaron · October 01, 2011, 01:33:02 PM

Quote from: Amaya on October 01, 2011, 11:40:06 AM
Sure it's derivative, and yes there is T33n!Angst(tm) but it's also just fun, and call me crazy but I quite enjoyed Steven Lang's character, mostly because he's what I think Q probably would have started out as before life and PTSD made him all evil

ANYWAY, the point of this posting is to say that I'm watching Terra Nova and will continue to watch it, at least for now, and I'm keeping an open mind, deliberately doing my best NOT to draw parallels with AVTR.

I am not saying I dont like Terra Nova. In fact I really do. I actaully found it comforting in a way. Like see a face in a crowd that reminds you of someone you dearly love that has been gone from your life. To me there are enough similarities that I will surely watch it. Even the Taylor/Q character was like seeing someone that even if I did not like the character I was still reminded of "home". I can't really explain it.

And though one may wish not to draw parallels I am afraid the writers of Terra Nova already did that for the viewer...my opinion only.

Yayo · October 01, 2011, 08:40:41 PM

Wait. Excuse my ignorance but is Stephen Lang in Terra Nova too?

Syulang · October 01, 2011, 09:40:41 PM

Quote from: Yayo on October 01, 2011, 08:40:41 PM
Wait. Excuse my ignorance but is Stephen Lang in Terra Nova too?

Yes, he is.

Haven't you seen him in the ads? What I don't know is, is his character meant to be a good or bad guy?

Yayo · October 01, 2011, 09:42:41 PM

I saw someone in the ad that looked a lot like Stephen Lang. I just presumed that my Avatar occupied mind was playing tricks on me. That's awesome! He was also in Public Enemies too, with that stubble of his.

archaic · October 02, 2011, 02:22:01 AM

It's not showing here, afaik, but it looks to me like, bits of Lost, Jurassic Park and Avatar mixed together.
Am I being unfair?

Yayo · October 02, 2011, 02:55:47 AM

No. You must realise that nothing is original and that things that are inspired by others may have themes of them. I don't think it's purposely taking themes from Lost, Jurassic Park or Avatar.

Ricardo · October 08, 2011, 02:17:06 PM

I just saw the first episode of it.
I can't say I dislike it. It looks lavishly produced and in the first minutes the story convinced. But after the teenagers got into the forest it became a bit poor. Don't know if I want to watch another episodes.
The engagement of Stephen Lang made a highly visible association to Avatar playing in the future-past.

Yayo · October 09, 2011, 05:33:46 AM

Yeah, it made me question Lang's characterisation abilities...

Eana Tanhì · October 09, 2011, 02:29:56 PM

Quote from: Ricardo on October 08, 2011, 02:17:06 PM
I just saw the first episode of it.
I can't say I dislike it. It looks lavishly produced and in the first minutes the story convinced. But after the teenagers got into the forest it became a bit poor. Don't know if I want to watch another episodes.
The engagement of Stephen Lang made a highly visible association to Avatar playing in the future-past.

i agree with everything

ToktorGrace · November 02, 2011, 03:59:24 PM

Sorry for the necropost - but this is a show Im rather enjoying (and I just started watching it on Hulu).

I find it to be very entertaining, (what TV should be) and as far as television goes, the visuals are spectacular - considering they created 13 episodes already, you can imagine it'd be much harder to produce this in a timely fashion. Avatar had years in production and post production - this was done in much less time than that, as constraints on TV require.

Sure the characters are a little flat and the dialogue could be better, but the plot seems fine to me, in fact engaging. Im kind of hooked on it and I hope they make more seasons!

The only thing I wish is that they would have been more accurate with their prehistoric creatures (ie. brachiasaurus did not live in the cretaceous.. I doubt even an alternate time-stream would be affected by that)

I also rather like Lang's character in this series more than Quartich. Quartich seemed to be a flat, obvious bad-guy, but so far there don't seem to be any 100% bad people in Terra Nova.

Txur’Itan · November 02, 2011, 05:38:31 PM

I am liking the show. I have been watching on the website.

http://www.fox.com/terranova/full-episodes/1455291/