Terra Nova

I am only here because I gave La Brea a try. I made it through 8 episodes and I started to think of Terra Nova while watching it. Terra Nova had its problems, mostly the teenage anger that had to be worked though. Both shows have the problem of overabundance in that regard. Enough about La Brea, I mention only to demonstrate how intangibles can make or break.

I watched this show some 11 years ago so my memory is not perfect. My kids were nearly 10 and 12 at the time. We could watch this as a family and we all enjoyed it. It could have done with better writers and it is a shame they didn't get them.

Yes the kid characters were a tad annoying. Teenagers just won't be constantly angry with their dad with dinosaurs around unless that dad commits a serious transgression. My kids got surly but never anything severe and they didn't have the danger or a dinosaur eating them.

The story line worked well (keeping in mind this is science fiction) and a interesting premise. There is what I expect is a glaring plot hole. We know it is amazingly expensive in terms of resources to send people from the future to the past and we have to assume it is similar going from that same past to the current day. It just won't be cost effective to send resources forward to the present. If it were a good option I suspect they would send a lot of modern heavy machinery back to make Terra Nova easier going.

I was disappointed this did not get 5 seasons. My wife was disappointed. Worst, my kids were disappointed and this kept it between the lines and we could enjoy it as a family. I think it would still be a good option for Netflix/Amazon/Any of them to pick it up and run with it but I don't think that will happen.

Oh, and La Brea gets dumber and dumber with every episode.

The whole family thing has the wrong feel for the situation. It's like they just moved there from Orange County. The teens are petulant babies. I doubt that would be the case if they had really just left an overpopulated, dangerously polluted world run by a harshly militaristic government. Why can't there be some original thinking about how people might behave in such a precarious situation with an uncertain future, dinosaur threats, and a competing population. Maybe this is a world where teens use their capable brains in new and interesting ways, rather than as trite selfish brats who need babysitting. I doubt that teens would act like that if they were in this situation. Yes, it's good to have varying levels of behavior; not everyone has to be brilliant or saintly. But behavior is influenced by situation and it should bring unique fears, force some creativity, plus there is an obvious ability to have impact in such a small population. What are the relevant issues in this world and how do they impact the inhabitants?

Season premiere was pretty bad. Mind you the production values are quite decent with good FX and costumes and whatnot. However...

The Story? Boriiiiiing. It started very good, in a dystopian future, which seemed pretty interesting even if not the most original of settings... But it only declines from there. At the end of it all, we're in a "family drama", a very cliché one incidentally, with dinosaurs.... so yeah.

The plot is dumb. Typical dumb characters that do dumb things because there needs to happen something to fill the time of the show. The characters are dull, completely un-original, their dialogue is often cringe-inducing, and sadly, the actors that portray them don't seem to be very inspired.

It's fine to have laser guns and dinosaurs and retro-sci-fi stuff, but give us an intelligent story please. I don't want to watch another show about the estranged dad, the angsty son, the nerdy daughter, the innocent child, the worried mom, the hot girl-friend and the over-confident military guy... There seems to be only rehashed stereotype characters in this show... ugh! To be honest, this seems like a waste... it looks expensive enough, but I was expecting something less dumb. Seriously, I wanted to slap every last one of the characters silly. And then the writers...

Let's hope it picks up and quickly, but something tells me it's not going to. I'm already dreading the 'family drama of the week' pace, with a little bit of mystery to try and seem like an interesting show.

Oh well, at least we still have Fringe, we sci-fi buffs...

Loved the series, I just wished they gave it another season or two :(

An old show by today's standards, but just finished it and it was great! Check it out on Netflix, if you haven't already.

I am rating this a 10/10, just to help make up for some lower rankings left by others. It's really between 8.5 and 9.5. It's hard to rate a series off of 13 episodes. It's a shame this show didn't get renewed for a 2nd season. I think 26 episodes would have been sufficient in telling a better story.

It has action, drama and dinosaurs. Very futuristic, yet takes place in a prehistoric wilderness, which makes it unique. The characters are good, mainly centering around the lead character's family and Commander Taylor, who is in charge of Terra Nova. The personalities and dramas that stem from these characters aren't wildly ambitious but do a good job with mixing in the environment and creating conflict with all the dangerous elements: dinosaurs, diseases, and the Sixers (human antagonists).

I read a review on here complaining about all the plot holes. One major plot hole complaint was "why aren't the future people putting on sunscreen when they get here?" Seriously? That's your big plot hole. First of all: maybe they are and it's just such a boring addition that it's not even necessary. That would be a waste of time. Who wants to watch that? Secondly, it may be an oversight but so what? It's science fiction. Suspend your disbelief a little bit. Obviously cracks in time don't really exist, but if they did........well, that is the basis of the show. If you can't get over that and start nitpicking about sunscreen right off the bat, then maybe this show isn't for you and you should watch people crossing the street outside your window. Can't get any more real than that!

Last little fun fact: the pink ranger from the new Power Rangers is in this. Also, the new inhuman director of S.H.I.E.L.D. from Marvels Agents of SHIELD.