Witchy
Woman, by Joe Crowe
First
off, I'll cop to not being a regular reader of the Witchblade comic book.
I have the general sense of it, but I can't say I've ever picked up an
issue.
So
-- how's this for a first -- I get to review a comic book adaptation completely
wholesale, without comparing it to its comic forefather at all.
I hope
the Witchblade comic is as enjoyable as this movie.
Right
away, realize that Yancy Butler is not the actress that you might expect
in the role of Sara Pezzini, wearer of the Witchblade. And by that I mean,
she's not a porn queen. Which is not to say that Butler is not attractive
-- but it's obvious that the producers could have gone with any dark-haired
Playmate and gotten away with it, but they elected someone who could act.
Butler doesn't vamp for the camera. She doesn't even get down to less than
3 layers of clothing for most of the movie. In the comics, Witchblade is
always seen in various states of undress, with her special magical Witchblade
covering her good parts (at least, mostly). For whatever reason, this movie
does not go that route. One reason is that special effects to have a CGI
costume in every scene would be a pretty fair chunk of change. Another
reason is, well -- the movie actually focuses on the story.
Which
is this: Sara Pezzini is a bitter New York City cop. She's out to avenge
a friend's death, trying to nail an untouchable bad guy, and runs across
a mysterious mystical weapon. It turns out it was no accident -- it's her
destiny to own the weapon -- the Witchblade -- and use it to fight for
goodness and stuff like that.
The
supporting cast is good, with some familiar faces. David Chokachi is here
in a complete break from his usual. His years as David Hasselhoff's understudy
on Baywatch might lead you to believe David's just here to look good. Believe
it or not, though, Chokachi is apparently here to act. And he's not half
bad as the Steve Trevor of the piece. He never takes off his shirt. And
he's not even blond.
Conrad
Dunn plays the target of Sara's obsession. He's better known to some as
Nick Corelli on Days of Our Lives years ago. Instead of playing the stereotypical
greasy mobster, he underlies Gallo with a menace worthy of carrying the
film's villainous lead.
I
say all that to say this: this film goes against every presupposition one
might have about a comic book adaptation starring a female. It's not campy,
nor overtly sex-centric. It's just grimy New York cop stuff with guns and
fists like NYPD Blue. It's directed in that same manner. Every day is cloudy,
and it's always about to rain. Most everyone looks uncomfortable and cold,
like your standard episode of Law and Order.
It's
more crime drama than superhero tale, so much so that when you finally
see Sara using the Witchblade's powers, it's surprising.
If
it does well, it will be a regular series. I'd be perfectly okay with that.
Kenn
McCracken's two cents on Witchblade
This,
coincidentally, is how a comic book should be treated on film -- as a science
fiction story rather than a campy excursion through pastel colors.
The
best things about this telefilm weren't the story, or the performances
(though there is nothing wrong with either). Instead, the mix of images
and audio stood out as the highlights of the pilot.
The
cinematography was simply stunning. The visuals help to set the atmosphere
-- a bleak and cold landscape accurately reflects both Sara Pezzini's state
of mind and the death that surrounds her. The fight scenes are brilliantly
shot and choreographed, portraying the chaos and confusion that Sara must
be feeling with her newfound powers. There is extensive use of a Matrix-like
effect during some of the scenes, which is a nice touch, although a bit
heavy-handed at times.
The
soundtrack to the film is equally effective in the movie. There are the
moments of driving heavy metal that the kids will love (I did, too), but
the most impressive part is the score. It is a haunting piece that sits
calmly in the background, but sets the mood better than perhaps any of
the rest of the film, all while unobtrusively staying out of notice.
Shane
Ivey's two cents on Witchblade
Witchblade
would be easy to pitch: think NYPD Blue meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
with the grittiness and fast action of The Matrix. My only real problem
with the show's pilot is that it seemed to try a little TOO hard to borrow
from its sources.
It
looks just enough like NYPD Blue or Law and Order to remind you that the
writing just can't measure up. It might just take a little research; while
the writers of NYPD Blue or Law and Order know better than to have a detective
assigned to investigate her own father's suspected murderer, that sort
of detail eludes the writers behind Witchblade. The dialog, too, is hit-and-miss.
There are moments of wit and genuine emotion, but there are also lines
which were contrived or outright cliched. ("I swear to God I will avenge
you....")
And
the "Chosen One" device that fuels the drama is awfully reminiscent of
Buffy and The Matrix (not to mention Star Wars), the popular genre hits
of the last few years. Sure, it's a great dramatic tool, and it provides
an easy framework with which to develop the heroine and her relationships,
but as a borrowed motif it adds to the sense of derivation, and that makes
for one more hurdle for the writers to overcome, one more reason they need
to prove the show has something new to offer.
By
far, the show's strength is the surreal nature of Sarah's interaction with
the Witchblade gauntlet, mostly presented in creepily surreal visual montages.
If they can either improve the cop scenes, or focus more on the supernatural
scenes, the show will be greatly improved.
As
it is, the pilot movie is a lot of fun. It suffered from uneven writing
and plotting, but it has a lot of promise. Tune in and check it out, and
join us in seeing if it will improve enough to stick around for a while.
