Swanson, Kiorein, and Stairmaster reach the end of Redwall season 1 as Matthias and Cluny have their, not quite epic, final confrontation. Then, the gang move on to season 2 with a new villain and a time jump. Plus, we talk about the show’s ongoing animation woes and the perils of having your shadows touch. Want to request a future bonus episode? Donate to our Buy Me a Coffee page https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tvtuners
It’s hard to say exactly where we would be in terms of special effects without the influence of Tron. The 1982 Disney feature was a modest success at the box office, but quickly captured the imagination of nerds everywhere. As one of the earliest films to use extensive CGI, Tron also captured the attention of the industry as a showcase for what current technology could accomplish. The impact was immediate, and it wouldn’t be long before imitators began cropping up. None of them were as quick to draw as Automan.
Debuting a little over a year after Tron, Automan attempted to adapt the style of the film’s virtual world to the TV screen. Created by Glen A. Larson, a man very familiar with imitation, the show followed Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz Jr.), a neurotic police officer who mainly worked in the precinct’s absurdly large computer room. Walter’s gifted programming skills eventually lead him to create a crime-fighting A.I., the titular Automan (Chuck Wagner). Automan (short for “Automatic Man,” a strange choice when “automated” was right there), can generate his own hologram and enter our world to help in the endless fight against crime. Rounding out the cast, we have Walter’s love interest: Roxanne Caldwell (Heather McNair), Lieutenant Jack Curtis (Robert Lansing) and Captain E.G. Boyd (Gerald S. O’Loughlin). All of whom have increasingly useless roles as the show goes on.
The defining feature of Automan was his reflective body. Using a costume made of tiny reflective balls, it could reflect nearly all the light shone on it. Add some polished plates and put chroma key effects all over them, and you have the finished product. While likely impressive for TV in the early 80s, the effects don’t hold up today. Most of that seems to be because of the chroma key, which often ended up spreading to Automan’s face in certain shots and is a pain to look at for longer than a few minutes.
In addition to his holographic body, Automan could also merge with Nebicher to become a singular being while keeping all of his invulnerability. In fact, the only real established weakness for our hero was the massive amount of energy he used by existing in our world. The writers used this in the early episodes to explain why he only operated at night, and then quickly forgot about it. Something that also happened with his merging ability.
Automan also had a trusty, and weirdly horny, sidekick named Cursor, a floating polyhedron who could draw the shape of an object and generate it. Despite only communicating in what sounds like Casio keyboard boops, Cursor never passes up an opportunity to flirt with a woman. Cursor’s typical role in the show is to draw Automan’s current preferred method of transportation. This is usually the Autocar, a Lamborghini with the same reflective patterns as Automan, but also capable of weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds and making sharp 90-degree turns similar to the Light Cycles in Tron. There is also a helicopter, a motorcycle, and even a tank that all make appearances throughout the show’s short run.
With all of these fantastical ideas, the show must be packed with some fun storylines, right? Sadly, no, these abilities and tools are just the things Automan uses to catch the generic criminal of the week. In fact, if you took out Automan altogether, the show would just be a goofier version of your standard 80s cop procedural. Despite trying to be a superhero show, Automan himself doesn’t get involved in many heroic situations. There is an episode where he takes up acting to catch a criminal and one where he becomes an erotic dancer to, you guessed it, catch a criminal, but he rarely does things of his own volition, which makes him a decent depiction of an A.I. but a bad superhero.
Debuting the same year as Larson’s other disastrous attempt at a superhero show, Manimal, Automan only fared slightly better, lasting 12 episodes before getting the axe. In terms of actual quality, Automan is probably the most inoffensive show I’ve watched for this column so far. For one, it actually explains the concept to you, unlike Manimal. Sure, it’s corny and full of boilerplate storylines, but the chemistry between Walter and Automan really helps sell the copious amounts of 80s cheese. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing a shiny car or helicopter defy the laws of physics?
Its overreliance on cop show cliches isn’t the only thing it has in common with the other Larson program. Outside of the main duo, the cast might as well be played by cardboard cutouts for how much material they’re given. Similar to the animal transformations in Manimal, Automan’s vehicles always seem to pop up right as we are approaching an ad break. The shows even use the same exterior shots for certain scenes. You could essentially make an episode of either by switching some names and substituting cars and helicopters for animals, or vice versa.
1983 was not a kind year for Glen Larson. In total, he produced four shows that made it to air that year. None of them received a renewal, and in the years after, only two of his programs lasted longer than a season. Automan stands out as the show with the most potential. A light-hearted program with some goofy sci-fi that got saddled with having to be your standard hour-long adventure show. The rare program on this feature that deserved better.
Next Time: We dive into the modern age with a look at CBS’ foul-mouthed William Shatner vehicle, $#*! My Dad Says.
Swanson, Kiorein, and Stairmaster approach the end of Redwall season 1 as Matthias fights a giant hypnotic snake and Cluny continues his descent into madness. Plus, a look at the great horse names from the Kentucky Derby and the possibility of a gorilla rampage. Want to request a future bonus episode? Donate to our Buy Me a Coffee page https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tvtuners
The 2001 film Legally Blonde has had a surprisingly long pop culture life. Mainly thanks to being a comedy film in the early 00s that hasn’t aged horribly and by virtue of Reese Witherspoon’s performance as Elle. Elle works as a character because the audience knows beyond her all-pink, all-blonde appearance she is smart and capable. Well, what if we got to see her before all that character development in the movie? What if she got to experience a similar fish-out-of-water scenario before going to Harvard Law?
Elle, Prime Video’s new prequel series, explores that well-trodden territory and many more. The show follows Elle (Lexi Minetree) a popular 16-year-old who has her upcoming school year all figured out. Her parents’ announcement that they are moving to Seattle for work dashes those plans. This being the mid-90s, everyone in school is sporting the very best in Cobain style. Elle stands out like a bright pink thumb. Will she be able to fit in, or will she learn that being yourself is more important? The answer can be found in the film Legally Blonde. What Elle offers instead is stale teen drama and punchlines that land with a thud.
Minetree does a fantastic job mimicking Witherspoon’s mannerisms, and her version of the character remains upbeat despite constant challenges. The series finds a real strength in the relationship between Elle and her mother Eva (June Diane Raphael). Raphael constantly steals the scene as both a reliable comedic presence and a source of comfort for her daughter. Their eventual conflict is the most engaging part of the season. The rest of the cast suffers from a lack of appealing development. Characters like Elle’s bully-to-friend Kimberly (Chandler Kinney) have recognizable arcs, but not enough care put into seeing them through.
What ultimately sinks Elle is a lack of stakes. We know she ends up being the same person years later with no ill effects from her brief time as a social outcast. This puts a damper on any consistent development for Elle herself, but it also saps the viewers of their investment. Why should I care about this event that mattered so little to our heroine that it never even comes up in the movie? Instead, the series doubles down with a love triangle that we know leads nowhere and a conspiracy plot involving the school’s secretary. There’s no reason to care about any of it because it reveals nothing new about Elle or the people around her.
With the irrelevant subtitle From the World of Legally Blonde, Elle is yet another prequel that refuses to justify its existence. If there’s a “world” to this franchise, it certainly isn’t expanded on in any meaningful way. Instead, we’re treated to a direct-to-video level effort that lasts nearly 8 hours. A series where every winking nod to the films you remember feels like an insult. There are no stakes, no growth, and no reason to care.
Elle is currently streaming on Prime Video.
A little over 30 years separates the two film versions of Cape Fear, and you can feel the differences plainly when comparing them. The movies follow the same general story with changes that reflect the mood of the era. For instance, the Scorsese version darkens the tale with more lurid thrills. It’s telling that, 35 years later, the latest update isn’t a movie but a prestige miniseries. What was once a 2 hour film has become a 10 hour TV show. It’s certainly the closest the new series gets to capturing the vibe of our modern times.
For the unfamiliar, Cape Fear follows convicted felon Max Cady (Javier Bardem) recently released from prison and determined to seek revenge on his lawyer. Max does this by threatening him and his family in ways that signal that murder is on the mind. In the Apple TV+ series, there are now two lawyers for Max to target, and they happen to be married. Anna and Tom Bowden (Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson) were Max’s attorney and the prosecutor, respectively, during his trial. This element adds some new wrinkles to the story and certainly fares better than the subplots involving their children, Natalie (Lily Collias) and Zack (Joe Anders).
Part of what makes the previous versions so interesting is the powerlessness that the Bowdens experience. Cady, memorably portrayed by Robert Mitchum and Robert De Niro, is the lynchpin and the most engaging presence. Javier Bardem may not be a “Robert” but he still finds a new spin on the character. Bardem’s take is more subdued, letting the rage and resentment slowly boil as he enacts his revenge plot. It’s no surprise that the scenes involving him are the most striking. After all, he’s the only active character in the story. Everyone else is simply responding to him.
Adams and Wilson, in contrast, try to add some depth to their characters, but the writing fails them. Adams fares better mainly because she quickly picks up on the obvious threats Cady makes. Wilson and their godawful children take much longer to pick up on it. The 10 episode run also requires more story, which means Cady’s plan gets needlessly complex. It also means more time spent with the dysfunctional Bowden kids. We explore Natalie’s crush on a friend and Zack’s mysterious gamer girlfriend more to fill time than provide any useful insights. It becomes a welcome relief when harm comes their way because the plot is finally moving.
This new Cape Fear boasts Scorsese and Spielberg as executive producers. While their actual contributions were minimal at best, the mere presence of their names seems to have affected the quality of the directing. The frequent visual nods to the 90s film get grating after a while, but there’s still plenty of visual flair. At its best, the series gets great mileage out of using shadow and color, specifically teal, to create a foreboding atmosphere. Add in the references to Bernard Herrmann’s excellent score, and you have a style that captures your attention.
It’s a shame, then, that so much of the plot fails to do the same. Cape Fear’s stacked cast is let down by writing that drags out the story to the detriment of everything else. Bardem is the only one who comes away from this unscathed. In a strange way, that ends up being the one thing that best captures the spirit of the films. The portrayal of Cady remains the most intriguing part. The rest fails to realize its potential. Maybe they’ll do it better in 30 years.
Cape Fear is currently streaming on Apple TV. New episodes air on Fridays.
