Sci-Fi News and Reviews

Impressions: "The Dresden Files"

I finally got around to watching "The Dresden Files" on the trusty TiVo. It was recorded on Sunday...but, hey, I had to watch my "Battlestar Galactica" first! There are a wide range of reviews on this show: some good, some others not so much, like this one from SFSignal.

I thought I'd add my impressions to the mix. As a prelude, let me state that I have never read the books. The "Wizard for Hire" books are, evidently, significantly better than the show. That said, I don't think the show is that bad. So, here is 'The Bad', 'The Good' and, finally, my conclusions on the future of "The Dresden Files".

The Bad
(1) The beginning.
The first segment shows Harry as a child, with monsters in his closet. In the span of about 60 seconds, he goes from 'scared little boy' to 'I'm going to rip the heart out of the monster that killed my mom'. A bit abrupt, don't you think?

(2) Bob.
Bob is the ghost that lives with Harry (in the book, he was a talking skull) and - wow, he is simply awful. His dialogue is not that well written; but Terrance Mann's acting is worse. I did not enjoy his character at all, nor did I think he had any chemistry with Harry. It was like he was doing college theatre and everybody else was making a supernatural TV show.

(3) Missing effects.
I first thought they there just was not enough magic going on in a show about a wizard. Looking back, though, there were quite a few magic feats. However, I was somewhat confused by the lack of effects when Harry created the charm/ward for the child. There was no light or spark or glow - for a minute, I thought Harry was faking (you know, make the child feel good by giving him a worthless token). It turned out that the ward really did have power. An effect during the creation of the ward would have made it clear, though.

The Good
(1) The Ravens.
I liked the Ravens. It hints toward a depth in this universe - there are the good (Harry), the bad (in this episode, the skinwalker and its boss), and the Ravens (neutral). Right away, we know that this universe is not drawn in simple black and white terms.

(2) The overall tone.
The overall tone of the show tended toward the dark, but not opressively so. There were bits of humor and I think this is where the 'Buffy' comparision originated. It was not overdone, but caused me to chuckle a bit.

(3) Character exposition.
Harry grew on me as the episode progressed. His interaction with every character (except Bob) improved as the hour progressed. This is a very good sign!

The Conclusion
So far, "The Dresden Files" gets a solid 'B'. I think this show has the potential to mature into a very interesting show. Right now, I would compare it to the early part of Supernatural's first season. Supernatural started out as your basic 'Monster of the Week' show. But, as the show matured, it gained depth, characterization and a very compelling overall plot. Here's hoping that "The Dresden Files" matures in the same fashion.

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Posted by Fred on January 24, 2007 4:05 PM
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