By Desmond Ho, Staff Writer
There has been a large superhero void in The CW’s programming since the closure of Smallville in 2011. Arrow, based on the DC superhero Green Arrow, aims to fill that void. It’s hard to say if Arrow will last as long as Smallville or leave a similar legacy, but so far, it’s off to a good start.
Arrow focuses on Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), the billionaire playboy son of a wealthy industrialist. He was shipwrecked on an island for five years and has a hard time readjusting to a normal life. Oliver is surrounded by his best friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), now-drug-using sister Thea (Willa Holland), worried mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) and bitter ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). She’s bitter for a good reason: Oliver cheated on her with her sister, who died in the shipwreck (along with Oliver’s father). Oliver is clearly a changed man after being stranded in isolation, and is no longer the womanizing party-goer he was before (unlike Tommy, who is still the same). He decides to fight the injustices of society’s higher-ups by becoming a vigilante archer by night. This catches the attention of Detective Quentin Lance, who, incidentally, is Laurel’s father.
The show takes a serious, Batman Begins-like approach to the comic book property. For example, the name “Green Arrow” is never said. There’s a reference to Speedy, the original name for Green Arrow’s sidekick in the comics, which is then followed by the characters saying how terrible of a nickname it is. In that way, it seems as though the creators are intentionally trying to distance the show from the original property.
Despite being based off a superhero who doesn’t normally kill, Arrow does not shy away from depicting the titular hero as a criminal-killer. There is a good amount of drama in the show; Oliver has PTSD-like symptoms and struggles with living in the normal world. Amell plays a decent Oliver, with a suitable amount of intensity added to the character. The biggest standout issue though is Oliver’s corny, heavy-handed inner monologue. While it’s very unsubtle it’s only really there for a few moments out of the entire show.
Arrow is a solid take on a largely unfamiliar character. The pilot, while not perfect, shows strong potential, and I’m hoping it builds on that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYiu2vSy73U&list=CL40vS0jNgG8o&index=5&feature=plpp_video
Courtesy of img.gawkerassets.com