This series - more exactly the pilot - shows a lot of potential in the story department for the series. Wit potential I mean, it's not restricted in any way, yet.
I haven't seen HBO's Rome yet, therefore I might be less tired of this kind of shows than my fore-reviewers. But I'm not new to computer generated imagery and that is what you can get tired of in this episode.
These effects are firstly a bit of a copy of Tarantino's Kill Bill and way to exaggerated and frequent. The everlasting and ever occurring sunsets/sunrises (including a low sun always SEEN on the horizon, kind of blinding the audience) draw the viewers attention away from actors and story as well as the swords or weaponry slashing through flesh and bone in slow motion. Further does the evenly lit foreground fit too well into the overly artificial seeming backdrops.
This much importance laid on graphics (importance not quality) let me fear there's not much of a story to look forward to.
In the age of HD (full or otherwise) the naturally recorded/filmed images do not seem very natural. So as a filmmaker I would rather turn down the amount of CGI in order to let my work convince.
To sum up: It might be a great show, if the plot lines are not too foreseeable and the CGI department goes outside sometime to see what a real world looks like.
I haven't seen HBO's Rome yet, therefore I might be less tired of this kind of shows than my fore-reviewers. But I'm not new to computer generated imagery and that is what you can get tired of in this episode.
These effects are firstly a bit of a copy of Tarantino's Kill Bill and way to exaggerated and frequent. The everlasting and ever occurring sunsets/sunrises (including a low sun always SEEN on the horizon, kind of blinding the audience) draw the viewers attention away from actors and story as well as the swords or weaponry slashing through flesh and bone in slow motion. Further does the evenly lit foreground fit too well into the overly artificial seeming backdrops.
This much importance laid on graphics (importance not quality) let me fear there's not much of a story to look forward to.
In the age of HD (full or otherwise) the naturally recorded/filmed images do not seem very natural. So as a filmmaker I would rather turn down the amount of CGI in order to let my work convince.
To sum up: It might be a great show, if the plot lines are not too foreseeable and the CGI department goes outside sometime to see what a real world looks like.