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341 reviews in total

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456 out of 654 people found the following review useful:
1 episode and I'm hooked...., 26 September 2006

Author: ryanbramhart3 from United States

I first saw the teaser commercial for Heroes at the end of Medium's last season and started salivating. And now that I've tuned in I'm hooked. The premise of super-humans has been done before and most recently in Mutant X. And I've been around to check these shows out. The misfit one with Courtney Cox was an old favorite. But none of these shows garnished the pure mystery that Heroes had going for it all the way to the end of the pilot. Plus a killer cast should make it a surefire hit.

I've loved Adrian Pasdar since he chewed up the screen in Profit and while he seems to be playing a similar role here, he is balanced by Milo Ventimigilia as his kid brother with a more human heart and dreams he can fly.

But the real scene stealing of the show belongs to the ladies. Ali Larter creates a believable single mother with serious money problems. Her strange gift is actual scary and has yet to have been fleshed out. The sequence where she awakes to find things have gone horribly wrong in her favor are chill inducing.

And on the flip side Hayden Panettiere's discovery of her gift is grueling, bloody, and refreshingly ironic as a modern day Supergirl. All her stunt work in a cheerleader's outfit made me smile. And by the show's end a revelation comes about her family life that made the show even more interesting.

With a painter who creates art that sees into the future and a comedic turn by Masi Oka and his abilities it's hard not to enjoy heroes. It twists and turns in only an hour and keeps you grounded to the characters and the situations they fall into. The previews for upcoming episodes made me actually want more. If your not tuning in on Monday nights, you might be missing something spectacular.

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376 out of 574 people found the following review useful:
As Good as Advertised, 26 September 2006

Author: ffx210 from United States

I just watched this today (recorded it from last night) and quite honestly, I'm pleasantly surprised. I was convinced the hype machine would kill this show, building up expectations so high they could never be met, but Heroes has measured up nicely, hitting on all marks in my book. I'm as a huge a 24 and House fan as is out there, but Heroes may have just taken TV's top billing in one night.

I must admit, shows now-a-days tend to go down hill after the pilot, but NBC's latest offering seems to have set itself up with a concept and tone that could carry on strong, at least for a season. My initial reaction was that we would either see clichéd super hero garb or some awkward NBC drama soaked in hero juice. What we got instead was a surprisingly good pilot that brought enough "hero material" to live up to its name, but not too much as to make us think we were watching an X-men ripoff.

The writing and the interweaving plot and characters is compelling and interesting, nothing dumbed down, but nothing contrived either. The direction fits the concept perfectly, it grabs you as much as it should, without being distracting. The acting is most surprising in that it's actually good. Masi Oka, who plays "Hiro Nakamura", is quite possibly the best of the cast, though he never speaks a word of English (unless you count "Spock"). Overall the cast is nothing big on paper, but they all manage to hit their marks well.

Last but not least, there were some pop culture references and nods to comic book lore that just made me smile. There seems to be a very cool hero/comic book hip feel that makes you trust the writers on this one.

Again, shows have been known to start strong and fall off soon after, but in this case, Heroes has made a strong enough showing that everyone should check this out.

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388 out of 602 people found the following review useful:
The Best pilot this season...so far, 19 August 2006

Author: alan4artg from Fair Oaks, Ca, United States

Heroes, in this writers opinion, is probably the most compelling pilot I've seen this year. Yeah there's "traveler" "Jericho" "Kidnapped"... they were good, but nothing that wasn't predictable. I must give credit to "Tim Kring" the creator of this series much credit for not treating the viewers like idiots. Superhero TV shows always have tendency to be wannabee big-budget Jr. movies. "Heroes" will have none of that! From reading the outline one would an expect "X-men" rip-off. Such is not the case for "Heroes." It is completely original in it's presentation. It would be a crime for me to give away plot details. I just hope the rest of the series continues to be this smart.By the way, it's nice to see "Ali Larter" given a provocative role like the the one she plays in this series, that's demonstrates her range as an actress. Kudos to all involved! Now only if NBC gives this darn show a friggin' chance!

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200 out of 271 people found the following review useful:
It's hard not to feel betrayed., 18 April 2009

Author: limette from Germany

It's impossible for me to find a rating that reflects the overall quality of the show. It started out strong; the first season was far from perfect, but it had an energy and a message that simply felt good. There were incredibly fulfilling episodes, such as Homecoming, Company Man, Five Years Gone, and heart-warming character moments not just for a few, but for most characters. I felt safe with this show. Anyway, one of the show's biggest problems became obvious in th finale, when all the character came together for a mostly underwhelming showdown. Somehow, Heroes was best when it did not follow closely to a plan, but allowed its characters some room to develop naturally. The best moments and characters of Season 1 are thanks to the writers having enough sense to use the opportunities that opened up. When Noah Bennet proved a more interesting character than previously hoped for, his role became bigger. The same for Sylar. The enmity between Mohinder and Sylar. Molly. It all grew naturally, and lost its momentum only when everything was yanked back into the intended showdown.

The second season put a damper on the mood. What fans wants to wait a whole season only to find out one of their favourite characters died between seasons? I'm one of the few who didn't mind the new characters. They felt fresh and gave new impulses, showed us new perspectives on their power. What really slowed the series down to a crawl was the need to force certain other characters back into the plot, even though they no longer had any purpose, and should in fact have died in the season finale. Since the writers could not think of what to do with these characters (Nathan, Peter, Claire mostly) they simply rehashed their previous story lines. But there was still enough to keep me interested, and I thought that if I could see the problems of Season 2, then surely the writers could see them as well.

Sadly, Season 3 came and was a nightmare, a disaster. Characters were written off, other characters had their backstories and even basic motivations retconned. The once international cast was suddenly down to three (two of which are the Asian comic relief), and all the characters who had already run out of steam by the end of Season 1 were now front and centre, source and solution of the problems. Showrunner Tim Kring now declared that Heroes was actually about the Petrellis and the Bennets. Had I known that from the start, I wouldn't have bothered - I started watching when he described the show to be about "ordinary people across the globe". Instead, Heroes is now about a bunch of upper-class New Yorkers ensuring one another that it's okay they started a genocide. Heroes did the impossible with Season 3: they made a show that bears little to no resemblance to Season 1. They also managed to make Sylar into one of the most obnoxious characters on TV. They shed all pretension of being interested in diversity. Consistency and continuity have been tossed overboard, not just in regard to previous season, but even with things established just an episode earlier.

I chose the rating to reflect this disappointment, too. If I was to judge only the first two seasons, the rating would be considerably higher. But in the end, the complete product shows a disrespect towards the audience, a hatred for its own characters and story lines except a few precious upper-class New Yorkers, like I've never seen it before. It leaves a foul taste in my mouth. As a viewer, you're lost. Can I grow attached to this character, or will he die, or will the next episode forget he existed, will this storyline be dropped or will his entire personality be switched around? Probably. What reason is there to watch?

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346 out of 564 people found the following review useful:
A very good start to a show that only promises to get better., 26 September 2006

Author: Blackavaar from United States

Although the show's concept is sort of a ripoff of the X-Men concept of people evolving to have super powers, I have to admit it was enjoyable. The acting was all very well done as were the slices of life that introduced you to each character. The effects are kept very low-key making it more believable than the typical super hero show. There is a great underlying darkness that permeates as well, giving one the feeling that some very bad things are about to happen. My mom even liked it, and she usually just sticks to shows about cops and politics (like West Wing, Law & Order, and CSI). If you haven't seen it give it a try. It's a very good show so far and only promises to get better.

I will definitely be tuning in for the next episode myself.

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134 out of 164 people found the following review useful:
Great start but season 2 & 3 goes downhill, 27 February 2009

Author: species from United Kingdom

I loved the first series - innovative, good story, slick cgi, great cliff-hangers. Sadly season 2 seemed to lose it's way (story wise), and it all started to get messy - worse still it was full of moments when you say "what the... why would you do that?!!!?!" for example, you've had a major fight within your arch nemesis & for once he's on the floor unconscious - now is your chance -finally! - so what do you do - would you a) pick up the gun on the floor and take the 2 seconds to shoot that person, or b) leave & then come back later..... let me see now...

Let me give you another example - you are a Dr, and the former most dangerous man in the world, who you know murdered countless people & almost brought the city to the edge of destruction, comes to visit - but you find out he's lost all his powers. He "thinks" you can help him get these powers back with an injection, do you a) give him the injection - knowing he'll probably be unstoppable & continue to murder his way through humanity, or do you b) give him an injection of something like saline, or even better some sort of poison - which he wouldn't have known you were doing as he had no medical knowledge??? Again, let me think....

Too many moments like this made it silly and unbelievable, which is a shame....

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279 out of 461 people found the following review useful:
Not at all ordinary, 27 November 2006

Author: Barry Goodsmith from West Orange, NJ

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Heroes" is similar to Marvel's "X-Men," in that its characters discover they have different powers. But where "X-Men" is driven more by action and plot, "Heroes" is more character-driven.

The show focuses on an ensemble of eight characters, each of whom have a different power. Claire Bennett is a high school cheerleader with the power of spontaneous regeneration, DL Hawkins has the power to phase through matter, Isaac Mendez is a brilliant artist who can paint the future, Hiro Nakamura is the office worker who can bend and travel through space-time, LAPD Officer Matt Parkman has the power of telepathy, Nathan Petrelli is the ambitious politician who can fly, his brother Peter is an in-home nurse with the ability to absorb others' powers when he is near them, and Niki Sanders has super strength.

But what separates "Heores" from most shows and movies is that each of our heroes are uniquely flawed. Claire, like most high school seniors, frequently forgets who her real friends are. DL is running from the law. Isaac is addicted to heroin, and can only see the future when he is high. The wonderfully geeky Hiro used his power for personal gain. Matt is dyslexic and has marital problems. Nathan cares more about his career than his family, particularly Peter, who suffers from depression. And Niki, a single mom and internet stripper, has a brutally violent alter-ego.

Parents be warned: "Heroes" deals with some very mature subject matter, including rape, infidelity, drug addiction, and mental illness, and the show is rather graphic. But it is smartly written and very well acted, with deep characters you'll actually care about.

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164 out of 244 people found the following review useful:
a storyline to thinly spread that ends up in an even weaker ending, 11 June 2007

Author: Raivenblade from Belgium

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When I first heard about heroes I liked the idea very much. It wasn't original in any way (Basically X-men brought more realistically because of low Special Effects budget), but it managed to peak my interest. The beginning wasn't bad, original cast members who were well suited for their roles.

unfortunately that is were the good ends. The build up is way to slow, and often mainly filler material to get to a full season. Things get dragged out, and become boring. Basically, the only reason I stuck with it was on the hope of getting a spectacular ending.

The ending however, was even worse. The writers throw out all logic for their convenience, and there is not 1 exciting or spectacular moment in the entire confrontation with sylar.

Peter spends the entire series learning new powers, and what does he do with them. You guessed it, absolutely nothing.

Sylar, who has basically been doing the same thing, does what he always does: he uses his telekinesis, and only his telekinesis. Boy, it sure was good he robbed all those powers! And apparently, his super-hearing gave out, as he was surprised by both Niki and Hiro.

Niki, finally joined with her alter ego Jessica, puts her great strength to good use. She hits Sylar over the head with a parking meter, before Peter tells her to back off. Else, the makers of the show might have had to spend some money on special effects. Another character who turns out to be a great help! Clair? Well, basically, she stands around a lot. Doesn't do anything. Didn't see that one coming.

Parkman thinks it's a good idea to shoot Sylar. Something simple as a bullet must do the trick right? Wrong, since Sylar uses his Telekenesis (didn't see that one coming either) to bounce the bullets back to Parkman. Let's keep our fingers crossed, and hope he dies.

And then of course, Hiro. All those valuable sword lessons by his father really payed off, since Hiro now understands that with a sword, the best fighting technique is to point the pointy end of the sword towards your opponent, and then run toward your enemy screaming until you impale him. This must have been the most idiotic part of Sylar Season 1 demise. Apparently, their was no money for fight choreography either The only conclusion you can make: very disappointing indeed. Living proof that even complete rubbish can be a big hit (Lost syndrome perhaps?)

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136 out of 211 people found the following review useful:
Boring with maybe one or two highlights., 12 August 2007

Author: sylph331 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When I began to watch Heroes, I had a very open mind about it. The pilot episode was pretty good, it had nice elements, wonderful cinematography, and it was intriguing. Somehow the show began to dig and dig and dig itself deeper into a hole. As the story lines got more "advanced", it became incredibly noticeable how weak the acting was. The writing is mediocre and the plots are dragging and predictable. But Heroes doesn't even try to keep it's viewers in suspense! It instead, informs the viewer five-ten episodes in advance what the finale is going to include, and then it plays out exactly as you expect it to. It's not intelligent, it's not even that entertaining, and scenes that they could've made memorable and touching were so rushed and devoid of emotion from the blank "actors" that you are left feeling like you wasted an hour of your life viewing this show.

Soon, these "normal" people were no longer holding jobs, going to school, or seemingly doing anything but running around aimlessly trying to find swords, looking for someone or some other nonsense.

This show does what I will call "reluctant killings" as they introduce character after character just for the "villain" to kill off so that they actually have a body count. You feel absolutely no connection for whatever character dies, and the story lines seem to lack steam and trudge along like you are riding a lopping pony at a fare. The legendary cliff-hangers it supposedly delivers are annoying, as you might've been getting into a scene finally (the last ten minutes is the only thing worth watching) then it ends.

Next week, you've lost interest and when it returns, it spends twenty minutes recapping what happened last week as the show seems to think it's viewers have the memory span of a fish, then the exciting discovery to see whether or not a character is dead or not (which you could really care less by then) is finished and the party continues at a lagging speed, until it repeats itself over and over again...

The music score murders the show worse than the villain Sylar and his head cutting kills the heroes. It's tuneless and seems to interrupt the scene instead of accompany it.

The show always seems very slow:

Ep 5: "We are going to save so and so!" Ep 6: "We have to save so and so!" Ep 7: "I'm going to go save so and so!" Ep 8: "Don't try to stop me from saving so and so!" Ep 9: "Because I'm going to save so and so!"

JUST SAVE HER ALREADY!

The producers make the mistake of trying to make their show popular by giving the viewers (who must be fooled with the dopamine coming from their heads that the show is actually "good") what they want. Claire became a quick popular character, I even liked her... at first. So, guess what? The producers decided to show more of Claire, and more... and more... until her story was... dried up... HRG or Noah Bennet, her adoptive father was no longer malevolent and instead became a total sap that only wanted to protect Claire.

Nikki also became popular with the men, probably because of that lovely crotch shot in the first episode, so they continued on her dull struggle to keep from becoming her alter ego, take care of her son and to not go to jail, when they finally put her in there, she murders some couple guards or something, and then... they release her! How come they don't put her on death row for that?

Peter who was at first an innocent, sweet guy, who cared about everyone, and had dreams about flying, only became someone who was insecure and grumpy. He went from my favorite character, to my least.

The main problem with this show is that they introduce too many characters and give them story lines that the original characters could've had, they don't add anything to the general plot, they just take up time to end up getting killed later.

Also, the show attempts to run four plots at once in one episode, which gets quite confusing and frustrating when one plot gets interesting and they flick to... say... Mohinder looking through books or something irritating.

The idea of how the heroes have their powers is ridiculous, putting it on a scientific theory that is an incomplete theory in the first place: "evolution" To say that a person needs the ability to fly is rather foolish as the brain is people's weapon, and if they want to go on Darwin's theory of evolution, they best realize that it's also "survival of the fittest" which goes into the idea of the food chain. It would be quite unfair to hunted animals if we not only have brains to figure out how to make weapons, but we also had the speed of the animal, everything would become extinct!

For one, if people evolved, everyone would do it, not just a few. If we evolved from the monkey, how come monkeys exist?

I tune in for a good laugh at how crappy the content can get, and I'm amazed when the viewers actually find something to theorize about- why bother as it's probably going to be explained... Usually they're right though, but as all fingers pointed to the conclusion... It's no wonder.

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95 out of 135 people found the following review useful:
rubbish, 7 December 2007

Author: leong_ting_lui

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The characters are dumb, like really dumb, story is inconsistent. That bad guy has the super hearing ability yet more than one time someone sneaked to his back. And is there anything u can't do if u can time-travel and stop time? If u can't make the characters use the power intelligently don't give them the damn power. Whatever the characters do or say it's often the stupidest option humanly possible. A complete waste of time, insult to viewers and the production crews.

"oh i can fly which mean the human understanding of biology and physics need a complete re-study; but no my stupid election is much more important." "hi my body can heal itself and my hobby is hurting myself randomly just to see it regenerate."

I mean wow guys turning on the TV will also automatically turn off ur brain too? Or u all have a superpower of watching TV without thinking?

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