Grand Star (2007– ) User Reviews

How to reduce an epic

[kouzof · 4/10 · 31 August 2008]

The series is based on "The Ice Company" series of comics, by G. J. Arnaud, that spans over 80 comic books and 20 years. The comic -almost- has the depth of Dune in politics, the vision of 2001, and the atmosphere of Blade Runner.

The TV series on the other hand, is targeted to (very young) teenagers. It has reduced the politics to these of a town mayor (the governor of the single Grand Star base), the vision to the here and now (looking for the sun to shine), and the atmosphere to that of McDonalds meets the Mad Max. Oh, and the (new) protagonist is telekinetic as well. Hmmm..

And, I really couldn't stand the way the scenery is designed. All through the series there is talk about energy shortages, power outages and death due to lack of energy (and, consequently, heating). And there is electric lighting in abundance, running electronic equipment everywhere having large and bright displays, all the corridors have good lighting, in all public places the props are neon lights and bright displays, and all doors are motorized. Hope they do not open the windows while turning on the air condition. The electric bill should be awful.

If you like good sci-fi please do not bother with this series. On the other hand, if you are a 12yo and only like cartoons, then this won't be too difficult to watch. And will have human actors.

4 Stars for making me laugh a lot.

[carol_weaver-609-871154 · 4/10 · 6 October 2020]

I agree that it is garbage to a large extent, and yes, why would you use so much energy when there was a shortage? But it made me laugh a lot, sometimes because there were funny bits, and sometimes because it was so naff. I kept watching it for its unintended entertainment value. I mention no names, but actors who act mainly by sideways twitches of the face and pursing of the lips, are extremely annoying. My hubby dislikes actors who go around with their mouths open all of the time. The romantic scenes between Cal and Suki were yukky, mainly because there was no chemistry there and it looked acted, besides the fact that he looked far too young to have that kind of strong attractiveness. Personally I think that she should have gone with my favourite character, Damien, who was far more mature and funny, although his fuhrerfest at the end was a bit much. I had a lot of sympathy with the character because I thought that he was very used and abused, so it's no wonder that the worm turned big time. I laughed and replayed the scene in the railway carriage at the end where his hair looked like as if he had had an electric shock. Funny to the end.

Soookeeeeh! And it's fine.

[humdrum_plannerc · 6/10 · 10 March 2023]

Would've given 5.5, but no option to.

Honestly, it's a better than average sci fi show. The production value of the images is good enough, even if the overall setting fails to wrestle with its potential.

The delivery does lean CW/young adult fiction. But that's fine. It's ok that it's not for everyone.

The characters are both flat and yet at times, hint at depth. The relationships among the characters are hinted at throughout the series. But this show is not a character study, there's a bit of a predestination that colors the plot.

Is it the first sci fi show I would recommend? No. But it is better than so many other among the derelict bad sci fi show mill.

Cheaply done with bad writing.

[slavergne-1 · 3/10 · 23 October 2022]

Whoever wrote the screenplay for this series lacked the skills to write a in depth story with any sense of reality.

The actors are babies, way to young as in never shaved to be in the positions some of them are in. The main character looks like he's 15 and acts like it as well.

I love a nice sci-fi story but sadly this one lost its ability to make sense.

The setting is a major hub with train rails going in different directions but you don't see them go anywhere else or visiting people from other locations.

Apparently the head man controls the world since he has the power to block out the sun. It's a very strange scenario.

Really too bad since it was supposedly based on a decent sci-fi series from comics.

Sugary sweet garbage

[shdwolf-62172 · 1/10 · 16 September 2020]

Omg, some of the other reviews on here must work for the production company: their glowing comparisons to star trek and tom cruise made me gag, almost as much as the acting of the players in this show. This was just so much garbage acting, garbage plot, garbage everything. First, the acting: cringeworthy. The villain was so overacted, patterned after a nasally brit, that never makes you think villain so much as bumbling keystone cop. The lead actor, and I use the term loosely, is more of a self important millennial reject from the 80's, all moody and angst ridden. He supposedly has "powers", but never actually tries to explore them, or use them. He's often more concerned with his lame love life than actual people's lives. The story just plods along, at a snails pace, along the thinnest of premise: really, the people are so stupid as to believe the sun actually went supernova, but didn't destroy the earth? Give me a fkn break. I felt no connection with the characters. I really didn't care if they got caught, or not. It was clear that no one would actually die, so whether or not they "found" the sun didn't really matter. The nazi ss references were heavy, and the self importance of angsty teens over stuck in the mud "adults" was pushed beyond anyone's belief threshold. That any of these actors was able to find work after this cringefest is remarkable. For the other reviewers, who promised such grand things for this series, and for the shining future of it's actors, I guess time has shown just how lame your reviews actually were, and how stunted the careers of it's "promising actors" actually were. smdh

Grand Star gets my Sci-Fi vote

[neilsanis · 7/10 · 25 September 2020]

I find the amateur nature of the production endearing. I loved the agency of the characters. How Suki got a powerful ear with every party and exposed the soft spots and the rise of unrest in the society. I found the end satisfying. There is a place in my heart for this series. It won me as a fan enough to write a first review!.

Give it a liberal dose of poetic license, allow the script to find its way and accept that it has conveyed what it meant to. Appreciate that though there are lots of guns no one ever gets shot let alone killed. Don't think about the science.

A fun little series.

Snowpiercer meets The Expanse with Doctor Who production

[bmcraec · 5/10 · 20 October 2021]

If Doctor Who was produced in Canada, it would look and sound like this. It resembles the Gerry & Sylvia Anderson series UFO and Space: 1999 somewhat, as well as the 80s version of Battlestar Galactica, but unmistakably shot on low-performing video. Good effort from most of the actors, but it really does hark back to it's era where cheap-enough shows could get a full season of 26 episodes. Worth a look, if just for the nostalgia of good-enough for this show CGI backdrops and barely better than duct tape and packing material costumes and props. I had never heard of it, so at least the awareness has been increased.

Classic Science Fiction

[mxb2001 · 9/10 · 8 December 2009]

I have only seen one episode so far (somewhere in the middle) but I can tell that like Stormworld this show is Science Fiction in its truest and purest form. That is to say, not mainstream action adventure like the current offerings such as Stargate, Star Trek: Spinoffs. This show is actually about ideas which is what real Science Fiction is all about. There are flaws in logic such as the "cold people". No mammal can survive such temperatures without massive body modification. They'd have to have a very low body temperature and a completely alien biochemistry. Which means that the main character could not be half "cold person" any more than Spock could be half Vulcan. But that doesn't matter! Science Fiction is about ideas. Presenting them to the viewer for their perusal and digestion. They don't have to be correct. That is for Science. They merely have to make you think.

A simple fun series

[imdb-33607 · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

Watched this mostly on the train, was a fun series with a fair storyline.

Was it the best set, certainly not.

Was it the best acting, certainly not.

But it was fun and I would have watched a second series.

unfair review by the other guy...

[usuc-1 · 7/10 · 13 October 2008]

I don't believe its fair to say Grandstar is a series with bad set-design with appeal to attract only young teen audiences who like cartoons. Dude, how rude!

Grandstar is a fledgling sleeper of a series that is destined to grow in both appeal and higher set value as its audience catches on to this gem in the rough.

Its cast consists of some strong performances with the occasional over-acted or just plain badly acted bit part from a few weaker members in the cast. However due to the potential in the shows development, its bound to improve (albeit a few cast switches may be needed).

This series will appeal to a wider audience then you've given credit to. Its analogies to modern times and moral story thread (albeit a bit idealistic), is strongly lacking in most TV series today - giving it a nostalgic story telling approach.

I believe this show if tweaked properly could grow as wide in popularity as Star-Trek did. hmmm... I believe that got canceled before its market was realized when it was first introduced.

My advice to people concerning this series: Watch season one straight through and see if your not wanting to see more. Trust me, you'll like it despite its apparent low-budget flaws and find it to become a guilty nightly pleasure.

Awesome actor Kudos:

Tyler Johnston <-- yes gorgeous , but also passionate , dynamic, convincing. Plays his character well. Great choice for the part! Looking forward to seeing him in future roles - big screen potential there. (but don't know quite how to feel about the 'young Tom Cruz' comparison some might give).

Peter Hudson <-- another very convincing and talented actor. Wonderful supporting role he plays as a father to the impetuous Cal Ragg (Tyler Johnson).

James Gerard <-- the ultimate villain with potential to redeem himself. excellent representation. He too I would love to see again in another bad boy role - a historical epic, perhaps.

These three actors performances propel the story along enough to make the trip interesting. Others were less steady in their performances - In need of either better dialog and/or different direction (it is perhaps at these moments that set design or other minor detractors take forefront to the acting).

Kudos also to a bit actors performance. He played the doctor towards the end of season one (unfortunately, I can not remember his name). He was twisted. I liked his potential I only wish he had better dialog (it molded one of his scenes in particular).

My perhaps one real complaint of the series (keeping in mind its newness): A Constant rosy non-life threatening scenario is just not realistic, I hope in time this becomes a bit more mature as it eludes to. Even Star Trek killed people.

Other then that, Great job. I hope this one develops into a long series.