Sara
Pezzini and her groovy gauntlet get the live action treatment.
Picking
up more or less where last year's TV movie left off, we find our gal Sara
Pezzini much the same -- for one thing, she's still got that crazy metallic
gauntlet attached to her hand, her partner is tousled surfer dude Jake,
and her previous, murdered partner Danny appears to her via mysterious
visions (is there any other kind?).
As
homicide cops go, Sara ain't exactly Dennis Franz on NYPD Blue -- and we
wouldn't want her to be. As in the TV movie that launched this series,
Yancy Butler is a perfect representation of the Sara we see in the comics
(currently reading as a sort of X-Files-meets-Homicide, thanks to stellar
scribe Paul Jenkins). She's tough, no-fuss, and she's got a way with motorcycles.
That's cool -- I'm glad they didn't make her into a mere glamour girl with
a gun.
In
the first episode, Sara and Jake set out to investigate a bizarre war between
two former members of the Black Dragons, a posse of genetically enhanced
warrior-types. Said posse is, of course, connected to the series' principle
baddie, Ice King Kenneth Irons, a sort of sleek, evil flip of the gadget
enhanced billionaire archetype embodied by Bruce Wayne. Irons, as those
of us who follow the comic know, wants to possess the Witchblade, and will
do whatever he has to to lure Sara to his side. He's also got a enigmatic
henchman type (again...is there any other kind?) in the form of perennially
stocking-capped Ian Nottingham, who skitters around doing bad deeds...and
occasionally helping Sara.
For
the most part, this first ep isn't a bad tease of what Witchblade as a
series has the potential to be. Its chief attribute is the magnetic Butler,
who commands the screen as easily as many an action diva working today
(Lucy Lawless, Sarah Michelle Gellar), and she's ably supported by easygoing
David Chokachi as Jake, adding a blast of Baywatch-style sun to the mostly
dark proceedings, and Anthony Cistaro as the glowering Irons.
The
show's potential downfall is that the writing veers towards mucky in parts
-- what the hell is Mr. Mystical Danny babbling about? I suppose it makes
sense for Sara to have some kind of spirit guide, but they need to make
more with the "guide" part -- much of his dialogue (and some of the other
dialogue as well) falls into psycho babble territory (well, could be worse
-- could be Treknobabble).
Also,
it'd be nice if they got over the need to pound the Witchblade's "weapon-through-time"
mystique into our skulls whenever possible -- seeing Sara dressed up in
knight's armor is kinda cool the first time, but it loses its effect after
a spell. Much neater to just see her brandishing her mighty gauntlet, which
should be the focus of the key action scenes.
Speaking
of those action scenes, though, they're pretty damn diverting and fairly
stylish, and tend to distract from some of the script's murkier aspects.
There's a particularly nice scene in the opener that pairs that motorcycle
bit from Mission: Impossible 2 with a bit of Matrix stop-motion. Big fun!
I'd go even more over the top though, bordering on cheese...but then, I'm
a sucker for cheese.
So
overall, this thing's got a lot going for it, particularly during these
dry summer months when all we really want is a good action flick and a
Frostie. It's gonna have to overcome some of its tendencies towards mysticism-for-mysticism's-sake
to completely win me over, but there's time for that. And that Yancy Butler...go
on, girl.
