Press Your Luck

ABC has brought this game show back for a second revival, and unlike GSN's take, they are sticking a lot closer to what made the original incarnation great, although it adds a final round that was not needed.

Hosted by Elizabeth Banks (the actress I know better as the voice of Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie), the rules are almost the same as the original, only this time, the winner moves on a bonus round added in where he or she could win one million dollars to add to his or her winnings. To me, this is an uneccesary addition made by ABC to justify having this incarnation run for one hour (if I was in charge, and I wanted to make it an hour, I would actually have the crew get three more contestants to the podiums and play the same game again, as Press Your Luck did not need a final round).

While Elizabeth can be a hit or miss (one joke she cracks involves eating at IHOP everyday if they put the burger in the pancakes after a question based around its IHOB marketing stunt), but everyone knows the real star of the show. No, not Peter Tormarken (although he is a legend), I'm talking more about the infamous Whammy, the one you should avoid if you plan on being a contestant. He is back in his 2D glory and retains the voice from the original show, with the animations for when he appears are a mix of new animations made for this incarnation as well as remastered versions of fan favorite animations from the original show (one of them said to be the Tarzan Whammy animation). Despite the unnecessary bonus round and Elizabeth Banks spurting some lame one-liners, it's a good reboot that retains some of the moment of the original.

Elizabeth Banks is knockout gorgeous, most beautiful lady I've ever seen!

Something about Banks brings something emotional to the show that was never there and that's what kept me watching. I was rooting for people then they'd lose it all and since the show offers more to lose now, you really feel it this time around. I certainly feel they did the OG version Justice with a better host and it certainly is better than the 2003 version with a CRAZY whammy board that looked impossible.

I like the updated show. It keeps the same elements with the big board, the Whammies, and the trivia questions, with the new element of the updated final round. Elizabeth Banks does a decent job of hosting it. I still love the Whammies!

** 1/2 out of ****

.....are the Whammies, those demonic little imps who show up to steal the money from the contestants if any one of them lands on a Whammy. Recently, my wife and I watched an episode where this lovely lady racked up the bucks and the prizes without getting a Whammy. And that's with the understanding that the more spins are taken by the contestants, the greater the chances of those little devils making their unwanted appearance. Elizabeth Banks is the perfect hostess for this show, so it's hard to believe that she had been in THE HUNGER GAMES movies. I know not who does the Whammy animation, but when PRESS YOUR LUCK aired on CBS from 1983 to,1986, the animation was done by Savage Steve Holland, who has also directed his share of comedy movies. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to PRESS YOUR LUCK. Take care and be safe.