The Dresden Files (TV Series) Pilot: Storm Front (2007) User Reviews

"Storm Front" - original version finally released

[blacklatexfan · 7/10 · 8 March 2008]

Loinsgate and SciFi Channel finally released the full version of the non-aired pilot "Storm Front" as a broadcast television movie. But in order to prevent those who would possibly think that the studio was in negotiations to re-start the series (now that former series star Blackthorne was released from his other series), SciFi aired the series as one of their 3AM movies rather than the Saturday night "most dangerous night of movies" feature.

The film shows a lot of the power and potential that the series had and the solid writing decisions the producers made in the changes to allow the series to stand independent from the book version of the story -- most notably the fact that in this non-aired pilot Bob far closer to the books as a disembodied voice in a skull, than the actual ghost Mann played which played up Mann's visual acting strength and presence in the series.

While fans of the series already know how the movie played out the added 40 minutes of the background are definitely appreciated as a character development for the series. But as these changes definitely showed that the series pilot was still drastically influx from the time of its writing to the time that this film was actually being recorded, this full length pilot is more appreciated as a "work-in-progress" showing the behind the scenes rather than as the official pilot of the series. Overall the pilot is still far too linearly obedient to the books rather than being developed as a series BASED on the books which conflicted with the series and its own reinterpretation of those books.

But as is, this version of "Storm Front" will be released as part of a series DVD reissue (this version is NOT included in the DVD release), or maybe it will cause the fans to amass around for a series restart.

Here's Harry...!

[Lejink · 8/10 · 7 May 2024]

I've finally started reading the source novels of Jim Butcher and I'm enjoying doing so so much that I decided to rewatch the to date only television adaptation of the adventures of his creation, the wizard Harry Dresden.

In this first episode, which although it shares the name of the first Butcher novel, has a completely different narrative, we get the first-hand narrative by Harry himself, as he tumbles into an adventure centring on the magical abilities of a floppy-haired young boy with special powers, the adopted son of a single parent mum. The boy is in demand, being sought by a villainous shape-shifter who's already brutally slain and taken the form of his school teacher and who turns up at the boy's door looking for him where thankfully a repellent spell cast by Harry keeps her at bay.

When the teacher - demon (there are two words I find surprisingly easy to juxtapose!) visits Harry in his apartment, we're introduced to Bob, a waspish old spirit with powers of his own who's encased in an old skull, but occasionally manifests himself in human form. We also get flashbacks to Harry's own youth when his magician father, knowing his son to be a true wizard, tries to protect him and keep him on the right path.

Finally we get to meet Murphy, the female cop who uses Harry's services whenever there's a suspected supernatural element to a crime in the city, which of course turns out to happen more often than you would think, although like in the books, their relationship can get a bit testy at times.

It naturally winds up in a big showdown between Harry and the demon, with our hero being pushed to his limits but naturally survives, to at least move onto the next episode.

I only got into the books now because I remember enjoying this 2007 series so much before, starring the likeable Paul Blackthorne in the titular role and this first episode was as good as I remembered it the first time I saw it.

Want to see the whole thing!

[blazeorama · 10/10 · 6 May 2007]

I really would love to see the entire two hours of Storm Front.

I am sorely disappointed that the Dresden Files seems to be on hiatus, because I have friends who wanted to see the show from the beginning and were disappointed that they would not be repeated this summer.

At the very least, I would like to see the full length of Storm From. Robert H. Wolfe has given me some of my favorite episodes of other shows, such as DS9. I want to watch what this script was like before it got chopped in half.

This is a really good show, and I am certain that it will draw a loyal and diverse audience of intelligent and employed folks, just the sort who buy the things sponsors sell.... So, Sci-Fi Channel, COME ON!

Had potential, but mostly botched it.

[Zeelthor · 6/10 · 27 December 2011]

I'm a big fan of the books and was excited to see whether this show did them justice. Mostly, I'll have to say "No, they did not." Here is why.

Casting.

Harry.

Paul Blackthorne does a good enough job. He's charming and kind of funny, but Harry was supposed to be the mildly dorky guy who kind of gets into situations he'd rather not be in, but can't avoid either because he's a good guy. I don't think he quite captured the essence of that. He looked a bit too old too, but that's not quite as relevant as the earlier stuff.

Connie Murphy. Valerie Cruz. My first complaint. WHY THE HECK IS SHE NOT BLONDE? I realize it's a minor thing, but come on. Ideally, I would've wanted to see someone like Sarah Michelle Gellar in the role of Karrin Murphy, but I guess that's asking for the moon. I really don't think the actress did a good job capturing what I feel was my favourite character in the books.

Morgan. No complaints.

Ancient Mai. Didn't like. She felt random and the acting sucked at times.

Bob. Completely slaughtered his character, but I feel it worked out better than in the book.

The series had a few creative things going on as far as writing and camera work was concerned, particularly in the episode where they get surrounded by the black fog of death. Mostly, the writing felt rushed and sometime stilted. The acting was wooden. I think they should've avoided their approach with one adventure per episode. Or rather, they should've done a few of those too, but split books into three or four episodes and mixed in stand-alones in between.

The magic. I liked how, in the books, you couldn't just do every single thing with it. In the series, it's more of a every-day Harry Potter style of magic. But it's never really explained as well as in the books and I feel they should've put more time into explaining the rules.

I feel that an R rating probably would've been of the good. The books got pretty bloody at times and I feel that the series lost it's feel of how deep in Harry is. It also really showed by the effects that they probably could've used a bigger budget.

To summarize. A good swing, but it missed. I do hope they'll try again at some point.