K 2000 - La nouvelle arme

I watched this film on Netflix out of curiosity. If you enjoyed the 1980s "Knight Rider" series as I have, you will be disappointed by this low quality movie.

The plot follows an illegal arms trade being organized in the "near future" (the year 2000) by corrupt police and government officials, with Michael Knight coming out of retirement and being helped by new protagonists at the Foundation.

The film lacks a lot of what made the original TV series so memorable. There is no black Pontiac, as KITT was sold for scrap and had to be rebuilt. There is no Bonnie, the attractive and intelligent female mechanic who was in most of the series. There is no campy action or offbeat humor, the story is much slower-paced than the typical TV episode. And the beloved theme song is absent.

There's also a lot of discontinuity. Now Michael Knight is a genius with electronics, something that was never the case before. Now KITT uses profanity and throws temper tantrums, both of which were foreign to the original series. To say nothing of the fact that somehow Devon and Knight have both aged very little, even though the story is set 15 years AFTER the series ended (5 years in real life).

That said, its not without its interesting points. It is interesting to see some of the future predictions they had at the time. It is interesting to see the direction that "Knight Rider" went in post-TV series. As someone who just finished watching "Stargate SG-1" on Netflix, it was interesting to see a younger Carmen Argenziano before he was cast as Major Carter's dad.

Avoid unless you are a big Hoff fan or are interested in the things I mentioned above. Better to re-watch the 1980s series instead.

As a fan of 'Knight Rider' (1982-86) for as long as I can remember, I was filled with excitement when I saw that they had made a movie bringing back 'Michael Knight and KITT' called Knight Rider 2000. Although it might not be the best movie that has been made, it does embody some of the Knight Rider legacy. The ideology that 'one man can make difference' is presented here for us all to see and remember. Although with Michael Knight in 'KR 2000', you quickly learn that he may no longer be the man that made that 'folklore' so true.

In the Year 2000, criminals are frozen to save the city money and handguns are outlawed. The foundation for Law and Government (F.L.A.G.) under the leadership of Devon Miles and his new partner Russell Maddock seek to secure a new contract with the city, using their new concept car, the Knight 4000. Devon, realising that he may not be able to do it alone, he seeks out the one man who could make a difference when it mattered most - Michael Knight. Michael is reunited with his old partner KITT, while the Knight 4000 is being finished. On the way, F.L.A.G. recruits disgruntled cop Shawn McCormick, who has one of KITT's memory chips planted in her head.

This TV movie does many things that I like. Its idea of what the future might be like is valid, although back in 1991 it would have been hard to accurately depict what would and would not have been around in the year 2000. The story to KR 2000 looks closely at banned handguns, with cops only allowed to use stun guns. Then you have RNA transplants, whereby computer technology can be used to save human life, which would be of great benefit. There is also the brilliant technology, where criminals can be imprisoned by being put to sleep, immediately stopping over crowding in the prison system.

Another positive is the movies characters. The reunion of Michael (David Hasselhoff), Devon (Edward Mulhare) and KITT (William Daniels) was something that I was eagerly awaiting. In fact Michael and KITT's bond is still strong, after many years apart. I love it when KITT says, `That you Michael? You look like crap! You have obviously been flushed down the toilet since we split up. Get a life!' A funny line that only KITT could say. One downer is the demise of Devon in KR 2000, who stuck through the good times and the bad, keeping F.L.A.G. alive.

This movie shows of new characters to Knight Rider, which I found refreshing to say the least. Shawn (Susan Norman) is an ex-cop with a big agenda. I like the performance Norman gives to her character, which must have been a difficult one. The new head shot at the Knight Foundation is Maddock (Carmen Argenziano). While he might do things that are a bit eccentric, he means well and continues what FLAG was set out to do. His character is humourously accused of having 'a chip on his shoulder'.

The bad guys are not so easy to distinguish in KR 2000. The ring leader is the evil Tommy Watts (Mitch Pileggi), who is released early from prison, then causes havoc of great proportions all over the city of Detroit. This man has no conscience when it comes to getting rid of anyone that is a problem. Watts recruits crooked cops to do his dirty work, which include Shawn's former partner Kurt (Eugene Clark) and Officer Marla Hedges (Megan Butler). Hedges is one girl who looks and is mean. Yet for Knight Rider, this movie has a large amount of arrogance, which its story is not accustomed to. Many of its characters are accused of being 'arrogant' at one time or another.

Among this movies other highlights include seeing KITT (the Knight Industry Two Thousand) in action again, all be it in a '57 Chevy, and seeing what a car KIFT (the Knight Industry Four Thousand) really is. With such features as virtual reality (which can save lives) being of great use to the public that it protects. I feel a car with any sort of intelligence to be wonderful, yet with KITT he has 'humanity and a sense of humour' that makes him quite a unique automobile. I also enjoy the final fighting sequences in KR 2000, as they feel just like old times, with Michael and Shawn flexing some muscle when it is needed.

So 'KR 2000' might not be as good as what the TV series was (which had its horrible mistakes as well). What is good about it KR 2000, is that it is perfect for Knight Rider junkies, such as myself, who can not get enough of Michael and KITT strutting their stuff. Of great disappointment to me in this movie, is the lack of air time the new KIFT has, which is only about 25 minutes, not nearly enough in my view. I was not surprised to hear that there is to be a new 'Super Knight Rider 3000' movie to be made. I like the premise, but hope that the movie is not jinxed by a story that is a little out dated. Knight Rider 2000, 'Beyond state-of-the-art'.

CMRS gives 'Knight Rider 2000': 3 (Good Film)

It was not the best of movies, but that 30 seconds on screen got my big brother his SAG card & a move to Hollyweird. He only went to the audition as company for a friend. Friend did not get the part. I don't even remember who that was. We were sad to see that all but that 30 seconds were cut. I think my mom still has this on VHS. She was SO proud of him. Still missing my J.W. That SAG card opened a few doors, but he was most proud of gaining entry into IATSE Local 33, in Hollywood. His Hollywood family took care of him, especially when we could not be there to help him fight his cancer. Bad movie? Mebbe, but it sure earned one young man his dream. Ups the appeal, in my eyes.

This must be the worst movie ever. Not so bad that it can become cult, but the most unimaginative cud of a nostalgic concept. Knight Rider in the old days was cool, mysterious, fun. Even the later series had something. Forget everything. Take your standard washed out male lead (what was David THINKING?), your average conflict with the female lead, your run of the mill bad guy and don't forget to end it with the showdown that has been done 1000 of times. Of course the bad guy falls over the railing! What do you expect? And KITT in a two-tone low ride? It's not even funny. Never see this movie if you like Knight Rider before.

I bought 'Knight Rider: Season One' on DVD and enjoyed it well enough. The theme music was awesome as I remember it being and there was certainly enough 80's cheese and style in there that it still retained it's nostalgia for me. The bonus disc for season one was 'Knight Rider 2000' and I was actually looking forward to watching it (I had never seen it)...

...let me just say that if you are on the very edge of contemplating suicide and need one last reason to end it all, watch this movie. There's a real unintentional tragedy surrounding the whole thing - we don't get to see the old KITT, there's no trace of the theme music, there's hardly ANY action, the new KITT-car is TERRIBLE-looking, and the film is filled with that early 90's gloss that so many early 90's films were injected with - there's no sense of self-parody and it's taken all too seriously.

There was something actually kind of cool about Jan Hammer's music in this (he's probably best known for doing Miami Vice) - especially the 'main' theme that plays during the end credits. It certainly doesn't match the original, but it does captures the sense of unintentional desolation, emptiness, and tragedy the movie will evoke in the viewer.