Knight Rider

So having been a child of the 80's where Knight Rider, The A Team, and other such Glen Larson staples were a religion for me I sat down with the full DVD season 1 box set of this remake fully prepared to growl and hate my way through the entire thing.

Annoyingly, frustratingly, and hating myself when I admit it, this wasn't actually as bad as I was expecting.

Yes granted the best way to look positively at this rendition is to not actually compare it it the first run, and especially not the god awful other attempted reboots since the ending of the 4 season run of the original.

The first second you see B list movie staple Bruce Davison in the cast list you know you aren't dealing with the likes of shawshank or schindlers list.

That not withstanding, the series itself has some amusing moments, and Val Kilmer replacing Bill Daniels as KITT isn't as bad as many would expect either.

Yes its shameless lower primetime shenanigans and is completely filled with bare skin heavy pretty girls and leading man handsome men all giving pouty looks and eyelid heavy looks just off camera at every opportunity but when its such blatant americana like it is, this can be overlooked if not forgiven.

The car itself is well designed, the mustang being a very good choice. However the transforming abilities are just a step too far for the suspension of belief for me.

A welcome return was the appearance of KARR with the original voice talents as well.

When you watch this you'll need to be aware of the first series, but try not to cast an opinion based on the warm memories you may have of it as a child.

Justin Bruening is a valiant attempt to replicate the Michael Knight character and is fleshed out in terms of back character a little more than David Hasslehoff was but still, its a channel 5 type budget show so you aren't expecting george clooney levels of talent.

Speaking of the Hoff, his cameo makes a welcome addition to the pilot and is strangely subdued and serious which you wouldn't expect.

All in all, a fun show but not one you'd really expect to be renewed even tho a second season may be fun.

Watch it on a weekend afternoon when you have nothing better to do, its really not that bad and you'll enjoy it if you want a brainless few hours just to enjoy some typical man time with cars, explosions and the like.

I actually didn't much like the first half of the show. Having watched the original 1982 series, I immersed myself in the dynamic between Michael and KITT as they solved the cases, and only just in the last few episodes did I feel that same magic happen between Mike and KI3T. There were still plenty of moments I enjoyed, and the other side characters are all great. It was just starting to get good, and it goes and gets cancelled without even a second season. Such a shame. It's a worthy watch, if a little over the top as far as the showy tech and special effects go.

I've seen a lot of hate on this show, and honestly a lot of it is just people going "not muh" and touting the 1982 series as so much better. You know why the original seemed so much better? Characters were given room to grow, and that takes a lot of production. Knight Rider 2008 had just barely begun tapping into that potential, so of course to many it's going to fall short. This is a suitable sequel series to the original, I'm just sad it had gotten cancelled after 17 episodes.

I used to watch the old Knight Rider back in the 80's. I am 46 now. When I saw the new series "Knight Rider 2008" I was really happy so I watched it. I love the action, the car is OK, I got used to it. It's still a nice vehicle. And all the things it can do, I was impressed with the new stuff. Please guys, don't stick to the old concept, we are in the new century, we've got to have new stuff. Science fiction is part of the process to create things in the future. Some of them already exist.

I really enjoyed the show and I'd give it a 10. It's great for the whole family and full of action, a bit of fun, romance sparkling there, with some gorgeous girls. I think it's got something for everyone. I just don't understand why people judge so quickly and bring down the show. It really was getting better and better. It needed to create momentum. And when it was getting more addictive, someone decided to cancel. Come on producers, give it a chance again! You have no idea how that show is so liked in other countries.

I hope one day, somebody retake it again and bring it up to the next level. Knight Rider could continue with some little improvements, and make it just like the show 24, full of action that way. But keep the same actors and characters. Bring back the good ones too. Knight Rider is just like Superman, Batman and the sort, it is a legacy that can continue on forever.

I miss the show. They didn't give it a chance to grow.

what more could you ask for. its got a gorgeous good looking sexy cast and a gorgeous good looking sexy car. storyline is lighthearted and not meant to be taken serious. i mean how much further can you take the storyline of a crimefighting team and a super-car. car and man get mission to stop bad guy and man and car go out and stop bad guy. its got action, jokes, humour and i even had a tear in my eye at some points. cast are great and all gel really well. the original show was good and now they have just updated it and made it better. just don't take the show too serious, sit down, relax and just enjoy the show. i hope there is a 2nd season as it deserves one

Mike is your average male heroic lead in a Hollywood production... he has no trouble with the ladies, he's defiant but wins for the good guys, and he can handle himself. Is there nothing else to him? Well, he seems to have a crush on Sarah, and the audience is meant to hope they'll get together. It'd help if the characters in this weren't so crudely drawn, nearly being caricatures. The dorky(yet hot) chick, the nerdy guy, the tough-as-nails boss, and I could go on. Acting-wise, we're not much better off. Anyway... aforementioned descendant of The Hoff is this generation's(yes, we're ignoring the '91 TV-movie... everyone is) driver for K.I.T.T., an ultra-modern car graced with its own AI, the voice of Val Kilmer, and occasionally a sense of humor. Ah, if only the funny moments of this were intentional. On the plus side, it doesn't take itself seriously, with comic book-style "villains" and plans, not unlike the vastly superior Alias. For the concept, this could(and should) have far more vehicular stuff, but what there is, is quite cool. The remixed opening theme beats the original, at least in my mind. One does have to wonder why half the one season this got did not have any faces in the credits... were they unsure if they'd stick with the cast? Technology leaps since the 80's show are taken into account. The dialog is OK. This has some nifty plots, if it is overall low on memorable content. The action is reasonably choreographed and executed. Cinematography and editing are fast-paced and at times suffers from the current infatuation with hand-held photography. At its best, this is dumb fun that you can get into quickly, and do not have to think about. But as far as that goes, you can do an awful lot better. I recommend this to those who must get into any entry in this franchise(at least it's not TKR). You shouldn't have trouble finding the episodes... they all awkwardly work in the word Knight into the title. 6/10