Lot of reviews and as one reviewer noted, seem to fit into two camps, each seizing every opportunity to support their view.
Yes, it is based on a series of books by Stephen Hunter, of which I was a fan of the first few. The later ones lost me as the author altered Bob Lee from a badaxe sniper to a John Grisham-style hero. His character, his story, his choice...I preferred the earlier Bob Lee.
So, any complaints about the transition from print to video automatically fail because in the book, Bob Lee was a *Vietnam* vet, meaning he'd be in his 60s at best. So, most will agree some things must change in order to keep it relevant to today's viewers. If we can accept that change, we should be able to accept other understandable changes from print.
Now, one point that keeps coming up is the pilot's scene between Bob Lee and the hunters, where he disdains the .223 round. Objectively, yes, it is an error...in the context of the scene it makes perfect sense. Bob Lee is insulting the choice of the hunter, essentially calling him clueless and instilling doubt in order to make his next actions easier. How these armchair warriors can mistake this seriously undermines their reviews. Did they not hear the sneering accusation about a Wal-Mart employee hosing the dentist on the purchase? The hunter is so inexperienced he buys his weapon at Wal-Mart...watch the scene again, and see if you think Bob Lee is being serious about the .223 caliber round.
There are factual inconsistencies...talking about the circumference of the human head which has nothing to do with how much target is available. Most are said in passing, easy to attribute to the flow of colloquial conversation. I'm sure *none* of us has ever used the wrong word a just assumed our listener will understand what we meant.
Now, the series isn't perfect; a big issue for me is Bob Lee's varying skill levels. In one fight, he gets his butt kicked and only survives because the Bad Guy decides getting shot by a bystander is too much of a risk. In another, he dominates several skilled assailants. Now, I don't want him to be Superman, but at least keep the skills in the same general vicinity.
The addition of wife and kid...sure, gives some extra avenues for Dramatic Tension, but for me, detracts from the overall story. Extra scenes devoted to them string the story out, give more minutes of run-time. Other than that, they add little to the story. Not to say they aren't interesting or worth watching, adding another layer, but I don't find them all that compelling.
Nadine Memphis...meh. Don't know why they decided to make her a black female, but it doesn't make huge difference in how the story plays out.
So, all in all, if you're a fan of action and intrigue, this series is worth a watch. You may love it, you may hate it, but it should keep you interested. The acting is solid, the writing is much better than the average, and the pacing is done fairly well. Any errors should be easy to overlook if you're not specifically looking for something to get your knickers in a knot about.
Yes, it is based on a series of books by Stephen Hunter, of which I was a fan of the first few. The later ones lost me as the author altered Bob Lee from a badaxe sniper to a John Grisham-style hero. His character, his story, his choice...I preferred the earlier Bob Lee.
So, any complaints about the transition from print to video automatically fail because in the book, Bob Lee was a *Vietnam* vet, meaning he'd be in his 60s at best. So, most will agree some things must change in order to keep it relevant to today's viewers. If we can accept that change, we should be able to accept other understandable changes from print.
Now, one point that keeps coming up is the pilot's scene between Bob Lee and the hunters, where he disdains the .223 round. Objectively, yes, it is an error...in the context of the scene it makes perfect sense. Bob Lee is insulting the choice of the hunter, essentially calling him clueless and instilling doubt in order to make his next actions easier. How these armchair warriors can mistake this seriously undermines their reviews. Did they not hear the sneering accusation about a Wal-Mart employee hosing the dentist on the purchase? The hunter is so inexperienced he buys his weapon at Wal-Mart...watch the scene again, and see if you think Bob Lee is being serious about the .223 caliber round.
There are factual inconsistencies...talking about the circumference of the human head which has nothing to do with how much target is available. Most are said in passing, easy to attribute to the flow of colloquial conversation. I'm sure *none* of us has ever used the wrong word a just assumed our listener will understand what we meant.
Now, the series isn't perfect; a big issue for me is Bob Lee's varying skill levels. In one fight, he gets his butt kicked and only survives because the Bad Guy decides getting shot by a bystander is too much of a risk. In another, he dominates several skilled assailants. Now, I don't want him to be Superman, but at least keep the skills in the same general vicinity.
The addition of wife and kid...sure, gives some extra avenues for Dramatic Tension, but for me, detracts from the overall story. Extra scenes devoted to them string the story out, give more minutes of run-time. Other than that, they add little to the story. Not to say they aren't interesting or worth watching, adding another layer, but I don't find them all that compelling.
Nadine Memphis...meh. Don't know why they decided to make her a black female, but it doesn't make huge difference in how the story plays out.
So, all in all, if you're a fan of action and intrigue, this series is worth a watch. You may love it, you may hate it, but it should keep you interested. The acting is solid, the writing is much better than the average, and the pacing is done fairly well. Any errors should be easy to overlook if you're not specifically looking for something to get your knickers in a knot about.