One man can make a difference...but a nifty car kinda helps too!!!! (knight rider (2008))

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	knight rider (2008)
Date:	04/06/08 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: hmmmm .......well, promotes fond memories of the original show from the 80's

Disadvantages: But feels too much like a 90 minute commercial for a Ford Mustang

How people think of David Hasselhoff depends on what generation they were born in....those of us old enough to remember the original series of KNIGHT RIDER remember him from that hit eighties show; those born in the nineties will forever think of him as Mitch Buchannon from BAYWATCH and those people of today's generation will probably remember him best as that creepy guy who sang "Get in my car" in that video where he leched over good-looking girls from a very quiet KITT. (Who was probably looking on in sheer disgust and silently dying from embarrassment wishing he was back on the production line!!)

Thankfully, this latest new, supposedly improved and updated version of an old, loved (and now very dated) T.V show only features "The Hoff", as he has unaffectionally become known, in a cameo right at the end and then only for a few moments of screen time!! The rest of this pilot, the fore-runner of a commissioned T.V show planned to air in the states this fall, features instead Michael Knight's long estranged son who is tracked down by the latest model of KITT when it's creator is killed by a group of nefarious mercanies intent on stealing the dead scientist's research. Aided by the scientist's daughter, a childhood friend he hasn't seen in years, Mike Traceur reluctantly finds himself becoming involved in much more than he bargained for as he takes over the mantle vacated by his father.

The first thing you notice is that the car has changed. Now KITT has become, in it's latest incarnation, a Ford Shelby Mustang voiced by Val Kilmer. Nanotechnology has now been introduced and the car can now change it's appearance at will, thanks to the wonders of CGI effects which often look a little bit clumsy. The opening credits do the most harm however, looking more like a car commercial than the opening trails for a new show. Justin Bruening is less than convincing as the lead character, Michael Traceur, and the eye candy provided by Deanna Russo as the daughter of KITT's creator, just isn't sweet enough for the red- blooded males amongst us. When you have the likes of number 6 in Battlestar Galactica (played by ex-model Trica Helfer) and Cameron in The Sarah Connor Chronicles (played by Summer Glau) to compete against, then you need a little something to keep the boys happy. And unfortunately, no matter how hard the producers try to convince us that KITT is the star of the show here, quite frankly the car is just not enough!!!

The storyline is also sadly lacking and could have been lifted straight from the original series....there is nothing new and exciting about it and no attempt to set up any kind of a story arc that could develop over the season. This may be because at the time of filming, they were not sure whether it would be commissioned as a full-time show but it really needs some kind of killer hook that regretfully never quite manifests itself.

Basically the plot is no more than a 90 minute chase-fest as the bad guys attempt to hack into KITT's creator's computer files whilst pursuing Traceur and his companion along rocky, hill-top roads. The only slightest interesting bit comes when they attempt to hack KITT but this is never truly explored to its full potential and the viewer is left feeling an obvious trick is left woefully unexploited. Also, where is the TURBO-BOOST? The bad guys cars seem awfully capable of keeping up at times with what is supposed to be an advanced Supercar!!!

The only thing going for this that I can see is that it's better than the appalling KNIGHTRIDER 2000 which was a complete travesty or the aborted TEAM KNIGHT-RIDER series that was thankfully short-lived. Unfortunately, judging from his few lines he has in this pilot, it looks as though "The Hoff" isn't quite done with the franchise yet and may show up in the full series as an occassional walk-on part. This, I feel, would be a mistake as, if this show wants to last longer than fellow remake, THE BIONIC WOMAN which has been resigned to the T.V dumper indefinetly, it needs to shed any last remaining links to the original show. Critics have already panned this as "unable to move on from the '80's" and though I wouldn't say this pilot episode was anything spectacular, I do think it shows some glimmer of potential. Just not much....

It takes quite a lot to get a hit T.V show and everything needs to be right for it to work especially if you are attempting a re-imagining or remake of an old classic. Battlestar Galactica is one of the few shows confident enough to pull it off but the success of this show has prompted other directors and writers to think all they need to do is re-hash an old idea to make the latest hit show!! Unfortunately, it's not that easy.... Sara Connor has a lot of improvements to make if it is to last beyond another season and yet that show is still miles ahead of what we see in this pilot episode. The problem I think is that production companies have gotten lazy and unless the full show gets much better than what we see in this introduction, then this show is destined to become just another failed re-make!!!

Summary: Dated T.V show gets a potential new lease of life in this commissioned pilot...