I was introduced to this webseries at Project Comic Con in St. Louis. I have eagerly anticipated this series first episode for months.
Plot:
This webseries takes place in an alternate reality. A great catastrophe destroys the surface of the Earth during the height of the Victorian Age. An asteroid has a near miss with the Earth but the debris brings the devastation. This lead to floating skylands and airships. The year is 997 of the new age.
In this episode, the Woe Claw clan is looking for Pinkerton Antonio Cornell. Cornell has taken Salazar Strega (Updated and corrected name- 810-12), a prisoner from the Cult of Cthulhu, from the Woe Claw.
Captain Santigo Dunbar searches for a new engineer for his Airship S.S. Beatrix. He interviewed potential candidates. Hooper Jefferson is an engineer with a great pedigree and training. but why does he desire to engineer an Airship when he is way over qualified? Their relationship is sealed when Hooper helps the Captain deal with a couple of drunk Woe Claw Mercenaries.
Pinkerton Antonio Cornell uses his position as a local authority to twist Captain Dunbar’s arm into providing transport for himself and his prisoner.
What I liked:
I really liked character of Captain Santigo Dunbar. Dunbar appears to be part Han Solo, part Captain Jack Sparrow, and a large part Mal Reynolds. It was fun to watch this egoistic anti-hero and his gatling gun arm.
I loved the set design. This looked like the old Victorian age. The saloon had a perfect feel. The set design fully set the mood for this series.
Steam Punk is simply KOOL. I love the old time look with amazing technology.
Hooper Jefferson is an intriguing character. I get vibe of Dr Simon Tam from Firefly but I am not sure that is where his character is going. I loved that Hooper pulled a small gun and Dunbar makes fun of it later.
The writing was strong in this episode. It developed characters. It moved along the plot lines. And most of all, it was flat entertaining.
(Updated and added paragraph 8-10-12) Did I mention Anthony Daniels (aka C3PO)? Anthony Daniels narrates Dirigibles Days and does a fantastic job. It is extremely KOOL and awesome to have Anthony Daniels on this project and as the narrator. The geektastic meter is off the charts.
What I not Like:
There wasn’t much to complain about in this 10+ minute episode. The only negative thing I can add is the special effect for the Airship in the opening was not fantastic. It looked like a toy instead of an airship. I have seen much worse effects on the SyFy network and their budget is much more than the budget for Dirigible Days. The airship for the Woe Claw looked great.
Review:
I loved this first episode of this web series, Dirigibles Days. It was fun and enjoyable. Check it out if you like sci fi/fantasy in general. It is a must watch if you are into Steam Punk. This series does include some cursing but not an abundance of cursing: Parental discretion is advised.
My Grade: A-
