And the verdict is... ? (Instrument of Destruction review)

[DAGWOOD]

Sniff sniff....I smell a Rare employee....
DAGWOOD

[Churchill]

While I agree about the negative effect of the show being split in two (although the mid-week repeat shouldn't have a break) the comment comparing it to Max Steel is simply nonsense.

To be honest, even from the first episode, it appears to be comparable in quality to the odd cg feature film and certainly far superior than any previous cg television production.

Apparently Gerry Anderson regards this series as his best work yet and I have it on good authority that the standard of the show escalates significantly as it progresses.

I predict this show to be a huge success.

Any kid who couldn't follow this show would have to be mentally deficient. I myself, would have loved this show as a kid. Action packed and engaging.

Churchill.

[shaqui]

While I agree about the negative effect of the show being split in two (although the mid-week repeat shouldn't have a break)...

What mid-week repeat? It's been mentioned in pre-publicity but i find no evidence for one in the Radio/TV Times...

[Churchill]

Yet to be confirmed, but pretty much certain is that a second slot. (midweek) will be allocated by ITV. This slot will most likely be on CITV at 4:40pm.

In addition, it has been rumoured that another slot (possibly 6:30pm) on Saturdays will be allocated for the show for older audiences.

Not to mention various satellite repeats.

[Marion]

I think the first episode was always on a hiding to nothing - to be fair - after all it has to follow the first episode of the original - how else could they make sense of the rest of the series?
I agree that the characters in this episode were shallow and the pace so frenetic that it could have been confusing for anyone without a clue as to who and what they were watching. Most of the commentators here are familiar with the background to Captain Scarlet, either from the 1960s (like me) or the 90's, which I also watched with great pleasure. With luck, this one will get better as it progresses.
Maybe next week is the real crunch ? That is when the story can branch out from the original series and direct comparisons will be that much harder to make. I think it will stand or fall by the quality of its storytelling and the way the relationships and the characters develop. I hope most sincerely they allow that to happen and that they do not bury their 'stars' in a mire of gadgetry and special effects. Any show that relies on SFX above characterisation is ultimately hollow and mere eye-candy. (In my humble opinion, anyway.)
I will be watching, not for the advanced technology of the production itself - I was and am perfectly happy with the limit action puppet version - but in the hope that the pace will calm down and give us chance to get to know these new characters.
I remain to be convinced that it is 'better' than the original - it is certainly different. Maybe once 'the shock of the new' has worn off I will feel differently about it, but for now I stick by my original remarks - it has some way to go to be as engaging as the original - and I don't think the characters - as we have seen them so far - have the charm of the puppets. (Even if that only relates to the fact that I thought that the puppets - even Captain Scarlet - were good-looking chaps!)
No-one could wish them better luck with it than I do - I would love it to be a success - that way we'll have more CS and other Anderson-programmes to watch. After the debacle of the Thunderbirds movie - this summer past - the powers that be in the entertainment industry need to be reminded what powerful, ground-breaking shows the original Anderson shows were. I look to the new Captain Scarlet to lead the way...

p.s. - I hope that any repeat will be shown as an entire programme in its own right and NOT as two distinct sections of some cringe-worthy Saturday 'entertainment'. To do that to it shows a distinct lack of respect for the integrity of the CS programme by CITV.

[Churchill]

Marion wrote:

"Maybe next week is the real crunch ? That is when the story can branch out from the original series and direct comparisons will be that much harder to make."



What, after only another 20mins of footage?. Patience my dear.
What's the hurry?.

I suspect that it'll take more than one more episode to "branch out"

If you still have such strong (and I sense pre-conceived) opinions in 8 or so weeks time, i'll be surprised.

Churchill.

[Churchill]

BTW,

As for the comments regarding the chracter visuals:

Go to captainscarlet.com

Even people with the most modest of observation skills should notice that in the chracter profiles, there are images of Scarlet and Destiny etc., which are witness to the fact that the characters are to undergo some cosmetic surgery in the coming episodes.

Gone will be Destinys' nest (hair), and Scarlet appears more youthful and less like a drunk

I for one am really looking forward to seeing them in action. The best show i've seen on tv since "24".

Churchill.

[C21]

I read that the original animation teams were replaced by the current CGI team part way throufgh the production.

There could be a distinct change in style and feel as a result of the switch.

Anyone know how many shows were made before the original teams were replaced?


C21

[Aegis]

Whilst there's a handful of Maya/Renderman shots in Instrument of Destruction Pt. 1, the rest of Captain Scarlet was rendered using LightWave 3D and near enough the same teams we have now (obviously some people leave and new people start - such is the nature of freelancing...)

There were certainly technical difficulties in the beginning which led to Ron Thornton (Babylon 5, Starship Troopers: Roughnecks) being brought in to get the show back on track and after the 2 pilot episodes were completed we had a little time to review techniques and structure the studio into four teams each working on their own episodes with support from a dedicated assets (modelling) department. In addition, we built our own motion-capture facilities in Pinewood Studios to handle the vast amount of mo-cap required for the show.

All this afforded us a little extra time to re-model key assets in order to improve on the standards we'd already established in eps 1 & 2 - consequently, whilst we're still very proud of what we achieved with the pilot(s), I'm sure you'll notice a marked improvement in the future episodes

[Doc Denim]

well....

I admit I am Unqualifed, not having seen the show (and being unlikely to for some time) to be making comments, but as one of the (perhaps) unfortunate trans-Atlanticans, you can all go ahead and chat about this stuff freely - I won't be bothered by the spoilers. (Feeling as I do - perhaps unfairly, that Gerry has already spoiled the whole thing for me in any case with the changes to the original characters and storylines.)

I am somewhat heartened to hear that Colonel White may have survived intact (for I am a fan of Colonel White) but I remain less than cheerfully optimistic that the other changes will sit so well with me. Personally, I very much dislike the whole idea of Scarlet having gone to Mars at all - it robs the character of any 'innocence' about the first mistake to have been made.

Good to hear the eye candy is fine and (perhaps) better that the characters seem to possess some depth. But here I have to agree with Marion - the effects alone, no matter how good, will only carry it so far. One hopes the story will live up to the effects.

For the time being however, this juror is still out....

Doc Denim

[chrisbishop]

I won't pass a comment so far - not having scene the episode yet, and I won't be able to see any of it yet for some time (being in Canada and all), but I'm keeping hopeful and the comments are really encouraging. That's good to know. So I'm still looking forward to it.

By the way, shaqui:

Time for my thoughts I guess... as probably the oldest one here?

What can make you say such an affirmation? We have a few original fans on hand on this forum!

[The Fox]

I've got to say, I was expecting to hate this new series - and by nature, I'm not a cynical person when it comes to these kinds of things. I just thought it would be all glitz ( assuming the CGI side of things worked, which, judging by the trailers and stuff I'd seen, it wasn't really as good as I'd hoped ) and little else.

As it was, I was fairly impressed with the first episode. There's some great stuff in there, it's action-packed and exciting, and all the hardware looks absolutely wonderful.

It's just a shame it's dumped in the middle of an appalling excuse for a children's television show - Ministry of Mayhem. I'm glad I had a HD recorder on the go... I wouldn't have fancied sitting through two hours of that dross just to see Captain Scarlet...
The Fox

[shaqui]

By the way, shaqui:

Time for my thoughts I guess... as probably the oldest one here?

What can make you say such an affirmation? We have a few original fans on hand on this forum!

True - and I'm close to being one of them! i first saw the series in the late 60s (1969 I think, but I recall a friend having the Anglo cards, and me trying to help but the picture on the back together). I'm aware quite a few 'older originals' are around but I didn't recognise any here on this particular forum.

I wanted to make it clear my appreciation of the series dates back to almost the original broadcast, and not the 1980s or 1990s repeats.

Anyone want to admit to how old they actually are?

[Doc Denim]

Doc Denim will admit to being 48 years young.....

[Marion]

I saw the first broadcasts in 1967... and was old enough to appreciate them too. I had seen Thunderbirds, Stingray and Fireball - but not Supercar - that I can remember. I do remember Torchy the Battery Boy, however...