The Pretender: Island of the Haunted

I am a fan of the series and watched this special TV-movie with anticipation many of the Centre's secrets would be answered. Some were but there were also many unanswered questions. Part of the problem lay with numerous and simultaneous subplots. I got the sense there were more scenes that were cut out of the final production due to time restraints. I am now curious for the next installment.

I've been a fan of the show since day one and was very sad that the show ended. More than that I am sad that that this movie was the last one. The truth will never be revealed. This movie was great. It gives a new direction to the whole story. I really liked the way the movie answers all the questions that were brought up in the previous movie (The Pretender 2001) and yet brings even more question. I mean, this movie really makes you wonder. But I'm not planning to spoil it. One of the better things about this movie is the way Miss Parker and Jarod are working together. They are a great team! I love Miss Parker's character and Andrea Parker (Miss Parker) is a great actress. I wish there were more episodes to the show or more movies. If you like The Pretender (the series) and The Pretender 2001 you will LOVE this movie!

Island of the haunted was quite good even though I'm not sure I like the fact that the super natural takes a larger and larger part of the story. I doubt that any fans of The Pretender will be disappointed with this movie.

The thing that really bugs me is that few of the original questions was answered. Sure, we got to learn a lot more but most of the new knowledge was from questions made in this movie. Another thing that is annoying is that I now get the feeling that they will never tell us the background and what is really going on. It's turning into the same kind of series as the X-files. Episode after episode with small hints and a developing plot but no end in sight, ever!

Since the series are now only being produced in the form of movies, the directors should think about closing it. Decide what they want to tell and make one or more movies and tell the story. I don't think they will ever do that though, instead they will just try to milk The Pretender for $ after $ for as long as possible. When they can't make more money from it they will put it to rest, without giving us an end..

But as I said early on, this picture is quite good if you don't mind being left off with more questions than answers.

I waited a long time to see this installment of the Pretender saga, and it was well worth the wait. Jarod and Miss Parker give good performances, although Miss Parker gets a bit over the top when finding out each new revelation about her family's past. Jarod's continued attempts to break Miss Parker's mindset and show her that she too is being used by the Centre really expands the possibilities of where the show could go in the future. And Jarod being so close, yet missing his mother once again, along with his agony in a rare moment of weakness was probably the most angst-ridden moment of the movie. You really feel for his character at that point.

At the end, there are some interesting revelations. But I'll leave that to you for your viewing pleasure.

If there were any disappointments in this movie, it's that the Centre cast (aka Sydney, Broots, Raines, Lyle, etc.) got little screen time, the story focused on Jarod and Miss Parker. Yet, if you have watched the original series, you get the sense it worked better this way.

Any Pretender fan will enjoy the movie, and if you haven't watched the show, this should get your juices flowing.

I thought this was an excellent continuation of the Pretender series. I loved the mystery of the TV series, and was super excited when they continued it with the movies. This installment, however, left so many unanswered questions, that I found myself repeatedly screaming at the TV to hurry up and tell me what the hell was going on. I would sum up for you what the movie was about, but I'm still trying to figure out all the intimate details myself. On the other hand, I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! This is some of the best writing ever, and like the first installment, Pretender 2001, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and kept me guessing (and gets better with the 2nd viewing). There are so many things that go into the mythology of the series and the characters, that you can't sum it up in just a few sentences. If you enjoy movies with clever writing, interesting and complicated characters and storylines, this is the show for you (as it is for me). I'm sure the 2nd time I watch it (or the 3rd, 4th...etc) the true brilliance of the writing will astound me, as the series and the first movie did.

If you are just coming into the movies, I suggest watching a couple of episodes of the series (TNT) to get a true feel for the character and story dynamic. You will truly appreciate it.