The Cape

I'm not a fan of comics or superheroes at all. However, I really like well made Batman things. I don't watch NBC too often so I didn't see any advertising for this. I was lucky to stumble upon it when I was chatting with a guy and his cousin (Eric Micheal Cole) is going to be in the episode "Scales on a Train" on January 24th. So, I watched the premiere and was pleasantly surprised. However, you have to be paying attention during this TV show because it moves very fast and has no unnecessary scenes. Some of the dialog can be very cheesy which gets really annoying. I love the creative idea of The Carnival of Crime and it adds a whole new element to the story. This is something that you'll have to watch from the start so you know why he has the cape and how he got the cape. Fortunately, the "Pilot" is available as a free download on iTunes. You don't have to like superheroes/comics to like this. Not everybody will enjoy this series but it has loads of potential. Just try to ignore the cheesy dialog and this series can be very enjoyable.

With classic comic book characters being reinvented for the 21st century with the new Iron Man and Batman films, I was happy to hear that a new series was being created based around a fictional comic book character called The Cape.

After watching the two hour special though I had mixed feelings. Even though the cape has a great cast and great acting (with a few exceptions) including David Lyons, James Frain, Summer Glau and Keith David, I felt it was just a bit too cheesy and it felt like it belonged back in the 60's with Adam West and Batman. The camera cuts were fast and the odd tilted shots with cheesy one liners really put the icing on the cake. All it was missing was a few "Splat" or "Kaboom" stickers appearing in the middle of a fight.

Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed seeing a new, if somewhat albeit, original character with a good mysterious background and great acting. David Lyons (who is new to me) suits the character well and puts a good deal of emotion and wit into his character. James Frain (TRON: Legacy) portrays a great bad guy, even though I thought he slipped once or twice. Summer Glau (Serenity, Firefly) and Keith David (He's in a lot) like usual acted amazingly with Summer Glau bringing the sex appeal and Keith David bringing his hard hitting attitude with wit. The only down side to the acting (this is being a bit harsh and a bit nitpicky) but I thought Ryan Wynott (Trip Faraday) let the side down with his poor acting. You can't forget the great cameo appearances though of Vinnie Jones as Scales and Ken Davitian as a shop clerk. I especially loved the little line shouted at Ken, "Hurry up Borat!".

Overall I thought it was a pretty bad start to the series with it being quite rushed and pretty cheesy, but then again I had expectations that it would be more like the new Batman or Iron Man films and not like the original 60's Batman.

I will keep watching hoping it gets better but this series really isn't for me.

If The Cape were aimed at children or as a program to be watched by the whole family, it's campiness and cheese would be appropriate. It would be a GREAT show to enjoy as a family and in that enjoyment I could get past some of the overly clichéd acting, directing, and dialogue. However, some of the language, some of the violence, and the current time slot seem to indicate that the producers aren't interested in a preteen audience... and the silliness, plot holes, and overall feel presented in the Pilot lead me to believe they won't be able to develop a loyal audience of mature viewers. I can't imagine The Cape lasting much beyond an initial order of episodes. For all of the potential the show has, it misses on too many levels and fails to properly reach any defined audience.

This show has received a lot of bad reviews thus far, and I find that uncalled for. Sure, many people may not see the appeal in this show, what with it being a superhero story that we have seen before, but I think this is a great show. If you did not enjoy the first episode, DO NOT GIVE UP, as the show gains a firmer footing even as soon as the second episode. The story gets deeper, the characters more pronounced, and the plot thickens. I am somewhat disappointed that they introduced Cape's sidekick so soon, as seeing Vince struggle through the trials of becoming a superhero would have been more believable.

This show attempts to capture the grandiose story of a hero such as Batman, but without our hero having the benefits of unending cash and gadgets. It also keeps the storytelling style gritty and dark, but without going completely film noir.

While this show's debut has many in doubt, I have throughly enjoyed it so far, and I look forward to the continued adventures of the Cape.

Good: Cast is very solid especially Summer Glau and Keith David. They both seemed to fit very naturally into their characters. Interesting premise with a good cop turned vigilante with a comic book bent. Has great elements of tension, drama, comedy and a little flair for the theatrics throughout.

Bad: Writing (maybe directing? I'm not at distinguishing the two) was inconsistent throughout the pilot episode. The pacing was an issue. There was no clear progression of time so I was confused a lot about how much time had passed between scenes. A lot of the characters feel shallow and little time was concentrated on their depth, especially with the villains. World struggles to straddle the lines between campy, comic book world and the real world.

The bottom line: I would continue to watch the series.There's enough that grabbed me in the pilot episode to make me come back to it.Clean up the writing and allow for more development of characters and plots and you have a hit. Summer Glau and Keith David are good, not in love with the main guy. I think he's OK, maybe will get better as the series goes on. But compared to other shows that have been premiered in the past year this one looks way more promising. Give this show a chance.