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TV Review: Terra Nova



I have to admit, I am a sucker for Dinosaurs.  As a kid in the early 70’s, my favorite Saturday morning TV show was Land of the Lost (followed closely by Shazam and Super Friends). The idea of Terra Nova excited me right from the get go.

Plot:
The Shannon family of 5  joins the Terra Nova colony in an alternate timeline 85 million years in the past.. The dad, Jim Shannon, is a former cop that was sent to prison.  Elisabeth is the mom who was invited to the colony because she is a top of the line physician.  Josh is a rebellious teenage boy who is out to prove he is his own man. Younger teenage daughter, Maddy, is super intelligent but socially under developed.  The law of 2149 only allows for a family to have 2 children but the Shannon’s decided to have a third child, their youngest daughter, Zoe.  The Shannons believe Terra Nova can be a fresh start for them. Commander Nathaniel Taylor runs the Terra Nova colony. There are a group of rebels, the 6ers, that attempted to previously take over the camp and have left on their own. This group is a thorn in the side of the Commander and an antagonist to the camp.


What I liked about this Show:
The Dinosaurs were awesome.  They are wild and some are furious and frightful. We see beautiful Brachiosaurs who are more concerned about eating leaves rather than paying attention to the humans who keep them.  The carnivorous dinosaurs are vicious and wonderfully intelligent.   I did not question the special effects once in the three episodes.

There is a mystery with Terra Nova. This show has a LOST feel to it.  There are tons of questions with this show.  Who are the 6ers? What do the weird writing at the Falls mean?  What is the real agenda of the Terra Nova colony?  Is this really the past and an alternate reality past?

The characters are not perfect. They have a lot of flaws which make them very interesting.  But there are enough redeeming qualities in most of the characters to make me like them and root for them.  

The 6ers have the feel of the Others from LOST. We don’t know their story but they are creepy and antagonistic.    
What I did not Like:
This show is has the tendency to be a bit too much teenage drama. I rolled my eyes with the drama more than once over the two (2 hour show on the first night).  
We are not given much background on what happened to the Earth.  There are numerous questions about how the 2149 Earth is in the bad shape it is.   

My Review:
I am really enjoying this show. The first two episodes were a fun ride. But the second episode was not as strong as the first two hours but still decent.

My Grade: B+

Other Reviews
IMDB: 7.3/10

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