The Invisible Man

Somebody finally perfected the "guy with superpowers working for the government" premise. This is a near perfect blend of humor and action, with well-realized characters, sharp dialogue and intelligent plots. This is the show "Jake 2.0" and a bunch of others try to be, and it might have developed a bigger audience on a network.

A thief with a conscience tries to get out of life in prison by volunteering for an experiment. He winds up with the power to turn invisible and a dependency on a drug that keeps him from going psychotic. A low-rent government agency partners him with a guy who keeps a copy of "Lithium and You" in his van.

This show had me when the agents got their briefings through "tri dimensional data viewers", which turn out to be ViewMasters. There's even a reasonably plausible explanation for invisibility that also creates a cool visual effect. (Think about it: how do you make a guy turning invisible look interesting?)

The new Invisible Man series is excellent. The premise is very unique. Rather than the main character (Darien Fawkes, played by Vincent Ventresca) being turned invisible by a freak lab accident, it's really due to the Quicksilver gland put in his body. It has some interesting plot points to it. This series has great potential to be something great.

This is one show I hope won't be disappearing anytime soon. I originally didn't think I would be interested in it at all. It's an old idea and I kept getting Vincent Ventresca's character from Boston Commons in my head when I saw the promos. What happened? A friend sat me down and told me I had to watch at least one episode. I am incredibly grateful. I went from that one episode to watching it devotedly.

I've had to reappraise Vincent Ventresca. I'd seen him in Boston Commons and Friends but never really put them together as being the same actor. He is quite good at being a variety of very different people. Darien is nothing like good time bobby or the snooty professor from Boston Commons. Ventresca has quite the job for him in this role. Darien is a fun loving, good guy with a past in theft and a cloudy future. The same Quicksilver gland that allows him to go invisible can also drive him insane.

No superhero is complete without his sidekick and so we have Paul Ben-Victor as Bobby Hobbes. I thought this was brilliant. Bobby Hobbes is a blast. I love the idea of assigning a paranoid agent a partner who can turn invisible. Bobby grows on you. Some people think the character is a little... annoying but he's a great guy and he's good at what he does despite being fired from several government agencies. Paul Ben-Victor does an excellent job with this character. His performance is a good part of why I'm watching. He's made Bobby into a very lovable character.

The supporting cast is good but we don't get as much of them as we do the main two. There are also well done special effects and some truly fun plot lines. If you want to watch something good on Friday night, this is it.

The Invisible man is a show everybody s gotta love! It reminds me of the old school 80's series(a-team,airwolf,knightrider) The special effects are small but very effective!! but what is most important is the fun they had shooting this series. It really shows! the entire cast fit perfect in there roles and it looks like they can do whatever they want!! especially Paul Ben Victor and Vincent Ventresca. Ventresca really shines in this one! for me its unbelievable that an actor with so much sarcasm is his acting style Doesn't get a shot in a big movie (mr Tarantino this was the show you should have directed! instead of that major boring grave danger(c.s.i)) Get this show if you can. well worth it!!!

I-Man is the best show that Sci-Fi had every undertaken. It was not only inventive, taking a well used story (of course H.G. Wells fabulous novel, and the many movies) and taking it to a whole new level. Who would have ever thought that a story about: an awful (though awfully cute) cat burglar who got caught "molesting an elderly man" who became a oh-so top secrect government agent, that no one besides his boss, partner and keeper, even know about him; would turn into a smash hit. The show had so much further to go, that it is a shame that Sigh-Fi didn't see it.

Take the lead: Vincent Ventresca. Vinny (to the throngs of loyal fans) declared himself the king of the pilot (not an exact quote, but close). He has yet to find the show that EVERYONE (and I do mean everyone) sees as he perfect role. If you never saw I-Man, find it somewhere. Vinny is perfect as Darien Fawkes. No one could do they role any better. It is like taking Fun Bobby (of course Vinny) (who anyone who watches Friends remembers) and sending him through rehab, personality classes, and then major sci-fi brain surgery and seeing what you come up with.

I am running out of room, but I have to say, Paul, Shannon, Mike (who I can't wait to see again), Eddie, Spencer, Joel and everyone else that was on the show was wonderful. Look them up here, they have been in so many other things that you wouldn't believe that you had actually seen them before till after you learn to love them.

The show was a gem, a diamond in the rough, that sigh-fi was oblivious to because of the blinding glare they created for other shows, that were I-Man's equal. It was a shame that they didn't support this show as much as it should have been. It would be on a major network by now, with a major motion picture (oh keep your fingers crossed...there are still rumors) coming out soon.