Stargate Universe (comments on spoiler review from Futon Critic)

[wraithfodder]

Hmm.... I dare say I do believe my LJ will always be focused on Stargate Atlantis, since the characters just caught my imagination and heart. THe writing wasn't always the best, but Flanigan and Hewlett and the rest made me tune in no matter what.

Anyway, Futon Critic just did a review of Stargate Universe, and it voiced a lot of my...c oncerns? fears? For spoilerphobes, don't click on the cut, otherwise proceed...

Futon Critic review: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20090910_sgu


You can read the review at the link above for plot details, but here's the stuff I"m going to discuss:

What doesn't: ...the show inevitably decides to sidestep following through on them in the name of having an easy out. In other words, nobody dies because of the decisions of others - the deus ex machina of the plot actually frees them from doing so. Both cases expose the inherent flaw of the show: it's more than willing to walk up to the precipice of truly shaking things up, it's just not willing to make the leap. Said aspect bleeds into other aspects of the show as well. The Destiny crew for instance isn't actually on their own: several just-so-happened-to-make-the-trip alien devices will allow them to trade consciousness with folks back on Earth, meaning everybody they've ever known is still a phone call away.

More troubling however is that the characters don't really seem to solve their problems, they just luck their way into solutions - week two in particular ends in a "whaaa???" fashion that's more than frustrating (for reasons which I won't spoil here). All of the above certainly blunts the overall excitement of the show - for all the refreshing aspects it's just unfortunate to see the franchise fall back on old habits so quickly. That's not to say there's not a lot to like, or look forward to, in this incarnation, it's just it could have been a home run...

.Okay, for lack of a better word, this is what i've bitched about. They're falling back on stuff they already used on both Stargate shows, and worse, they're doing to SGU what they did to Atlantis: that damned 'we're lost in space but look, we can dial home and chat with family/friends.' 

I think what I find dismaying about the review is that this is not a fan reviewing the show, but a critic  (and I've already heard from another critic who has yet to post their review that the show isn't up to snuff.

If SGA hadn't bitten the dust 24 hours before SGu was announced, it probably wouldn't be so bad. I would have preferred just one more year of SGA, let them explore the city, etc. than the quick end and pollyana finale they tacked on. Yeah, it's beating a dead horse, but it's my horse and I can beat it ;) Feel free to add comments below but please don't stick in any really bad language - I'll delete. I know lots of fans are still ticked off, to be polite, at the cancellation.

However, all said, I'll watch the pilot, because I want to see just what the heck is going on, then I'll write my review ;) 

Comments

Very sad :-(

[(Anonymous)]

I got to to say that I pretty much agree with everybody’s comments here. I find the whole thing just stupid now, axing SGA an then giving us this!! Ok I can understand that they wanted to go in a new direction "blah blah" that’s fine, but why at the expense of SGA, that’s the bit I don’t get. But the sad fact is they haven’t really, just replaced with a shaky cam, songs an body swapping sex stories!!!!!!!!

I also don’t get the fascination about the casting of Robert Carlyle im in the UK an really he isn’t that big of a actor, he's average, he's hardly ever on main stream TV, not that I go out of my way to look, not saying he's bad but he is no way the draw that PTB seem to think he is. I honestly don’t know one single person that would tune in just to see him NOT ONE. But that’s a whole other issue I guess.

Also why do they think that everyone wants the darker type stuff, I mean look how well WH13 is doing in the US, we have just got it here so it’s a wait an see sort of thing. An the whole targeting a particular demographic again makes not sense, if it’s a good show what ever the show, people will watch an enjoy regardless wont they??? The more reviews an general info I have read about SGU the more I know this is not what I want to spend my spare time watching. The fact is now I have little if no curiosity towards SGU, an don’t go actively out of my way to read stuff, its only if browsing SGA/SG1 that I see things like this an then decided to have a quick peak, as there is always the chance something will jump out an say watch me! That has not yet happen, so far I really don’t think I will be missing anything. But this reviewer did at least seem unbiased with the pros & cons which is in its self refreshing.