Supercar 2000 - Indagine ad alta velocità

So you know where this is coming from: I was in my twenties when Knight Rider ran regularly on NBC. I didn't think much of it then. To me, it was an action-adventure variation on My Mother the Car. So I had low expectations for the return.

My low expectations were easily exceeded. There are some cute plot twists and developments afoot here, bordering on acceptable science fiction. This is NOT great cinema nor film, but it is a fun little movie that doesn't lose sight of what it is.

This film while it has some good points is a fine example of what happens when Canadian's get their hands on high octane 80's action shows. They did it to Airwolf and the tried to do it to Knight Rider.

This was obviously a pilot episode for a show that never was and the reasons it never was are obvious. The idea was fine but the execution left a lot to be desired. The flaws are even more apparent after watching the first season episodes and the original pilot in the same DVD set.

The original show had the right idea and concept behind it. The car is the star of the show, it is indestructible, and has an arrogant personality to match. Combine that with the music that keeps you pumped into the action, a bunch of gratuitous explosions, death defying stunts and a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff and you have a certifiable 80's hit.

The first misfire in this project was taking the car out of the equation for 60% of it. I can understand that the Knight 4000 Pontiac Banshee was a little more expensive and one of a kind then the Knight 2000 Firebird but they didn't even present us with a single stunt that couldn't have been performed by an '84 Dodge Omni with fake wood paneling. On a positive note the new car itself had the potential of being really cool. The Banshee concept car is a sleek and cool update of the Firebird from the original series and seems to fit what we'd like to see as the KITT of the future. I think they should have painted it black, as a bright Red car tends to stand out almost as much as Starsky and Hutch's striped tomato. I understand they didn't have the budget to make several Banshee's to do the terrific stunts the original show had, but they could have tried a little harder to up the action with the car.

The second big problem was the music. The original score was exactly that, original. You could identify the show by its theme alone; it is almost as famous as the car. Knight Rider 2000 seemed to emphasize the kind of synthesizer music that the worst fare on the sci-fi channel usually gets. It's very soft, it's very soothing and it sounds like it should be on a relaxation tape and not an action show.

Third. I hate the way that shows like this exploit the future or at least how shows used to exploit that great year 2000. It was as if they felt that they could slap the year 2000 on a show and make it seem like is somewhere in the 24th century. They tend to present a time where Utopian societies formed almost overnight and replaced years of humanities attempts to prevent anything of the sort. I'm not holding this critique of this show alone, they did it throughout the 90's almost up to y2k when they realized, you know what it's nearly the year 2000 and society hasn't suddenly and magically morphed into an idealistic utopia like in star trek, nor has it been taken over by rampaging robots or evil computers. So why is it that they, in 1991, would assume for some reason that we would suddenly invent a cryogenic prison system, amazing brain transfer devices, sonic stun guns and the complete outlaw of all handguns by the year 2000. Now if I'm not mistaken things like this usually take about ten to twenty years to perfect and put into real practice, yet they felt that nine years later all of these magical changes would take place. Combine that with their jokes about President Dan Quayle, as if a gun ban would pass under that kind of administration.

The Fourth major issue is once again we find ourselves in an unnamed American city that looks suspiciously like Vancouver. It's like Stargate SG-1 "See the Universe of Vancouver" cause to quote the great Buckaroo Banzai "No mater where you go, there you are." I suppose it's no worse then in the 70's and 80's when every unnamed American city was LA. But it seems to me that when you have an action show against criminals you set it in some place like LA. Not to knock Vancouver's own criminal element, especially in the Utopian future of the year 2000, but Canadian shows always come off as somewhat stale, dry cleaned and pressed in a such a way that seems to brush away the gritty nature of classic American TV.

What is Knight Rider without KITT? I'll tell you what it is; it's David Hasselhoff and his partner running around with a sonic stun gun in a shopping mall. It was the action and the car that made the original show what it was, and by trying to up the science fiction angle to cover for the lack of anything going on in the plot or on the screen it made for a very long hour and a half. Unlike the producers of KR2k Hasselhoff figured out the right way to present this kind of mundane action, and while that show is not remembered for it's plots or it action, it is remembered for all the hot women running around in Bikini's. The failure of this to take off is the same as the failure of Baywatch Nights. David Hasselhoff - hot women in swim suits and - action stunt talking car = something that will be popular in Germany but leave the rest of the world scratching its head.

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.

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)

This movie was a disapointment for me.Hoping that KR would make some kind of comeback,I was glad to hear of a TV movie coming...however upon watching it,I wished they hadnt shown it at all.KITT the Trans Am was scrapped,Devon was murdered,Bonnie and RC3 were never mentioned,little action (no jumps or any wild KITT stunts),and what became the KNIGHT 4000 was little more than a reskinned Dodge Stealth with front wheel drive (near the end the front tires are seen spinning)that could drive on water and superheat tires to blow out (turbo boost anyone???).The movies ratings were good (top movie that week),but its obvious the formula was tired and there was some serious grasping at straws.Its 2003 and a new KR big screen film is planned.Hopefully the budget will allow more action,and a reborn KITT in the right color (black) will appear on a sleek "sports car" base.If not,and it turns into a Honda Civic/sport compact/fast & furious copycat,they might as well not spend the money.(same could have been said of the Gone in 60 seconds remake...Forget Nicholas Cage,it was Toby Haliki that made history).