Started off strong…
It looks as though the Syfy Channel may have gotten this one right. It’s far from an original concept and is somewhat reminiscent of the old Sci-Fi cop show Alien Nation, where Aliens have already landed and are well and truly integrated into human society, but this has a more post apocalyptic flavour with a far larger mix of interesting Alien races, which, thankfully, open things up for the writers to get creative and give depth to the newly developing characters.
After a voice-over, with some decent graphics, explain to us how the Earth was conquered and has gotten to the current state of affairs, we kick off with a human man and an alien girl, following what appears to be some space debris or fallout, which they scavenge for scrap artifacts, allowing them to survive in a less than hospitable Earth. When they find what they’re after, they run into trouble and make a break for a city called “Defiance,” where they end up meeting a strange but extremely interesting group of Human and Alien individuals, getting mixed up in the day to day affairs of these people. As I said, it’s not exactly original, but has an immediately likable diverse collection of characters, you could ever meet, and to top that, they are played by a solid cast of experienced and known actors from the likes of Dexter, Gladiator and Liz & Dick, they are a cut above the normal players that get considered for these roles.
The diversion of Alien species is great, and there are some clear nods to Star Trek and Star Wars, but in a very flattering way. The CG is pretty good for the budget and is by no means bad. It just lacks the effort and skill, that large productions have the luxury of being able to finance, but I still enjoyed them. When you think about it, these very same effects were considered state of the art, only a few short years ago. This show contains, feuding families, Romeo and Juliet style love affairs, murder mystery, and then there are Aliens to throw into the mix, which all makes for a good Sci-Fi show. I can easily see this quickly gaining a following.
Grade: B-
by Ed Blackadder
