As a huge fan of the original film, I was both curious and afraid to see what the TV series would look like, especially given the extreme violence and language that defined the movie, which would have to be considerably watered-down to make it to television.
Turns out that wasn't even the main problem of the pilot; instead you have mediocre writing (and some cringe-worthy, very unrealistic or unoriginal dialogue), some bad acting (the guy behind the liquor store counter, D.J. Cotrona who - in spots - is working too hard at channeling George Clooney), and - the worst offense - minor goofs that completely throw you out of the story, like (SPOILER ALERT!) how obvious it is that Gonzalez is NOT wearing a bulletproof vest, earlier in the episode, that magically saves his life in the end. And Wilmer Valderrama, who I do like ... well, him as a terrifying drug kingpin is something I still have yet to fully buy into.
But this IS a pilot, and a lot of changes, fixes, and improvements are often made between a pilot and episode two (and beyond) ... especially if the pilot was shot significantly earlier than the rest of the series. So will give it more of a try, but honestly if the writing and acting (at LEAST) don't improve from episode one, this might be one vamp series that gets staked early on.
Turns out that wasn't even the main problem of the pilot; instead you have mediocre writing (and some cringe-worthy, very unrealistic or unoriginal dialogue), some bad acting (the guy behind the liquor store counter, D.J. Cotrona who - in spots - is working too hard at channeling George Clooney), and - the worst offense - minor goofs that completely throw you out of the story, like (SPOILER ALERT!) how obvious it is that Gonzalez is NOT wearing a bulletproof vest, earlier in the episode, that magically saves his life in the end. And Wilmer Valderrama, who I do like ... well, him as a terrifying drug kingpin is something I still have yet to fully buy into.
But this IS a pilot, and a lot of changes, fixes, and improvements are often made between a pilot and episode two (and beyond) ... especially if the pilot was shot significantly earlier than the rest of the series. So will give it more of a try, but honestly if the writing and acting (at LEAST) don't improve from episode one, this might be one vamp series that gets staked early on.