Pilot

This film tells the story of an action film star who also assumes the identity of a secret agent. He asks for a secret anti-narcotics mission, with filming as the cover.

I applaud Jean-Claude van Damme for making fun of himself for this film. The first line he says is that he used to be famous. Then the weight lifting scene funny because he makes fun of himself repeatedly. That takes guts to do!

The story is light and entertaining. Even though the runtime is only thirty minutes, the film doesn't feel too short. It is the right length for this story. I like the scene where the people in the secret warehouse all gather around to read those pieces of paper. Jokes in here work!

If you're a fan of Jean Claude, and have been waiting for his comeback (not withstanding The Expendables, where he didn't get the recognition he deserved), here it is!

He is at his best, with a witty script, and it definitely keeps you on your toes as far as plenty of stuff going on.

There's a lot packed into this, and the leading lady looks like his daughter, but who cares!

Jean Claude pokes fun at himself and adds dimension to this - I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'd definitely want to see him a bit more often on our TV screens after this.

Going into Jean-Claude Van Johnson I was extremely worried and critical. I am a huge Jean- Claude Van Damme fan but I'm honest enough to say he's made some real stinkers. I knew he could be really funny and from Expendables 2 and JCVD, I knew he has some serious acting chops. But a comedy series starring him? I was so worried it was going to be a Seth Rogen/Adam Sandler-esque comedy with fart jokes and bad puns. This is nothing like that, the writing is brilliant. I was blown away by the spot-on parody of 80s/90s action movies and of the current PC culture and current Hollywood movies. The writing is so smart… Thats what surprised me the most. Secondly, Van Damme is hilarious. He plays a perfect parody of himself, everything he says/does reminds me of the '80s Van Damme. He is absolutely hilarious and also they gave him some awesome fight scenes that are better than any of his direct to video action movies and showcase his vintage moves. Lastly, the show is masterfully shot, this could easily be a high caliber HBO series. Great cinematography, which can be taken for granted. Also, have to say something about the girl who plays his love interest, Vanessa. Man was she funny, she also stole the show. You can tell she must have watched a lot of action movies back in the day or something because she plays her role masterfully and hilariously. "He spinning back heel kicked his way into my heart." was probably my favorite line, she was fantastic. Everything about this show was fantastic, if you're a JCVD fan or a hater, either way you will love this show, trust me. Absolutely blown away, 10-10 rating. I pray this gets picked up as a series.

Cast in the right context self satire is a great vehicle for comedy.

Jean Claude Van Johnson is an absurdly brilliant example of comedic self satire. Nineteen nineties action star Jean Claude Van Damme takes the mickey out of middle age, the absence of "top shelf" acting roles and his own "star" status.

What surprised me is that Van Damme really does have scope as an actor. His exhausted, wearied and somehow ironic "acceptance" of the world we all face with increasing age is convincing. As is his mid- life "crisis" ignited by an encounter with an old flame.

Lots of absurd fun ensues with our hero being revealed as a genuine "over the hill" secret agent. Its wonderfully silly stuff and Van Damme pulls no punches in making fun of the genre that made him a household name back in the day.

I truly hope this episode heralds the start of a series. Its fresh, original, honest and at times rather witty. Eight out of ten from me.

For those few of us who have followed Van Damme's post 90's career, there hasn't been a lot to talk about in a very positive light. Nearly all of his films were low-budget direct-to-video releases that were high on mediocre action and more high still on mediocre acting. Then came the welcome surprise "JCVD" - a Belgian production that parodied Van Damme as himself caught up in a real life bank robbery. The film was a strange mix of action, drama and comedy but it worked and Van Damme was praised for his performance even going so far as to be nominated for several best actor awards (yes, you read that correctly). Unfortunately for him, this did not lead to better things and he soon found himself back to making formulaic low-budget action flicks.

A few years later he got another chance to return to the limelight when he appeared in "The Expendables 2" - by far the biggest budget film he had done in a very long time (possibly ever). Yet despite Van Damme's turn as the villain being arguably the best performance in the film, it too failed to reignite his career and back to the realms of mediocrity he went.

Here with "Jean-Claude Van Johnson" my first thought was that this was going to be the American sitcom version of "JCVD" and essentially, it is. Van Damme is once again playing a parody of himself, but here it is done more for comedic effect than in "JCVD". Thankfully, the script is quite witty, being closer in vibe to a show like "Community" rather than a slap-stick action-film parody like "Hot Shots" and most - if not all - of the jokes land on the nose. The action too is well executed (though it is not the focal point of the show) and the plot is fast-paced and entertaining. But really the whole show rests upon Van Damme's performance and for the most part, it is spot on. The breadth of emotions that he undergoes in this 30-minute pilot is a fair sight larger than you might expect and he sells it well.

Is it perfect... no. Van Damme's love interest looks about half his age (though she plays the role well), the aforementioned fast-pacing could actually be toned-down a touch to let things breathe a bit more organically, and just occasionally some of Van Damme's delivery is a little "off". However, this is a pilot and you have to expect a few kinks in the armour the first time round. The important thing is the ingredients all work and there is plenty of room for this to grow should it be picked up for a season.

Succinctly put, this is the best thing Van Damme has worked on in a long time. It might too very well be his last shot at escaping the direct-to-video action world. So please if you're a Van Damme fan check this out (and leave a favourable review on Amazon while you're at it as they tally these to decide on whether or not to pick up the show) and if you're a Van Damme hater check this out too - he just might surprise you.