Believe

Review - 'Believe" (2014)

Genre; Drama/Fantasy

Director: Alfonso Guaron

Writers: Alfonso Cuaron (creator), mark Friedman (creator)

http:truemoviebuff.wordpress.com

Cast: Jake McLaughlin as Tate, Johnny Sequoyah as Bo, Jamie Chung as Channing, Seinna Guillory as Moore, Kyle MacLachlan as Skouras, Delroy Lindo as Milton Winter

When I first time heard about this TV show, I told myself; "Finally, since "Fringe" we're going to see something extraordinary interesting on TV". But when that "extraordinary" comes with such big name as Alfonso Cuaron, then we all have no choice but at least to watch the Pilot episode of "Believe". and that's I exactly what I did.

Since we had so many cancelled TV shows such as 'Alcatraz", "Event", and "Park Avenue", film makers should be extra careful with picking a new idea, before making a new show. Because, it is not that easy to make us watch something ridiculously unrealistic story.

Since Alfonso Cuaron is the one who has created "Believe" I would still take a risk and watch it. Because this person is smart enough to not offer a boring story. "Believe" tells the story of a little girl Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) with extraordinary gift. And certainly, having such a power (still unknown what is her power about except a few tricks she has done in the first episode) not safe for a little girl. And to make sure that she is safe, Milton Winter (Delroy Lindo) asks Tate (Jake  McLaughlin) to take care of her from Moore (Seinna Guillory) and Skouras (Kyle Maclauglan).

In the first episode we see a few action scenes, which is mean that there are still many more are coming. It's still unclear what kind of organization is coming after Bo, but it more looks like a security agency who also wants to own/to take under control Bo's power. The story still developing, and it goes deeper so far which makes me to watch the second episode as well, just to make sure that it really worth to watch it.

It's hard to say whether I liked "Believe" or not. But in one fact I am absolutely certain; it does not matter who stays behind this story line, Alfonso Cuaron or Steven Spielberg, all what is important is a good acting. If the actors are good enough to execute their roles and makes us believe that they are the part of the show, then yes, I am in. I'll be there wit them till the end. And so far, I see a quite believable performance in "Believe" which is a good sign.

I know that these types of shows are about stretching the limits of your imagination but this show goes well above and beyond that. The main bad guy is confused - is he good, is he bad, is he just horribly written. I could wade through all the plot holes and 2 dimensional characters but I can't get through Bo. She is the most annoying protagonist. We are told time and time again how "amazing" she is, how "special" she is, how "sweet" she is. How everyone "loves" her and is "touched" by her. Actually all she is is annoying and spoiled, throwing tantrums and screaming all over the place to get her way. This gets in the way a lot of the time and ends up putting other people's lives in danger. She is supposed to be "gifted" beyond all measure - I was hoping for a more mature and nuanced performance but oh well, wishful thinking it is. I think as a character she would be more likable and "special" if she acted less like a spoiled brat.

To be honest with you all, 'Believe' was the only show that i was looking forward to watching this year, although i must admit that 'The Goldbergs' turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise in the comedy genre.

I have loved almost all of Alfonso Cuarons work,Gravity, Children of men, the guy is a genius. The involvement of JJ Abrams only served to intensify my interest in it.

This is my honest response to watching the pilot episode a few days ago.

The premise of the show is interesting, its similar to 'Touch' but not quite the same. A girl with supernatural powers, being chased by the bad guys and being protected by the good ones.

The Good- The casting is near perfect Jake McLaughlin and Johnny Sequoyah have an amazing on screen chemistry, clearly they are the highlight of the show, Delroy Lindo fits into the scheme of things like a glove in a hand-again spot on casting.

The Bad- Katie McClellan is only partly convincing as an assassin there is a very obvious lack of character development in her case, its kind of odd to see a person kill 5 people in one episode without any remorse and all of a sudden get emotional thinking about her mother.

The Ugly- It came as a shock to me the way the action scenes were filmed in the pilot, really disappointing, the action-drama genre is not something new for Cuaron yet the pilot had a lot of sloppy direction, the hand to hand combat scenes were like a brother and sister getting into a fist fight, the prison escape scene was again totally unconvincing.

I'm going to watch the rest of the season, but i really hope they step things up, you cant blame us for coming to expect more from the guys behind this show who have set such high standards for themselves that we naturally expect more, much more.

Unlike some other reviewers here that don't appreciate decent writing, positive, inspiring stories, and just wholesome television, I do.

I love this show.

I love that it is science fiction applied to present day. I love that the story is about helping others, and showing that human beings CAN evolve into something positive. It reminds me of the message that Star Trek tried to convey.

The current trash on TV is tiring. Reality shows and garbage filled with sex, violence, and just immorality. This show I feel comfortable watching with my kids.

It's a shame that NBC has canceled it, and hope they reconsider. There isn't a lot of good TV out there, but, this IS good TV! Could it be better? Absolutely. However, it takes time for actors to get into their characters, develop relationships, and develop stories. I hope that we can watch all of these characters develop for several more seasons.

Please don't cancel this wonderful show!

This is not an untarnished genre, but I have found this show to be unique and original. Most notably, the style of the show uses the characters to tell the story, and the plot is subtly interdependent with it. It allows you to think about the plot, rather than forcing you to make singular assumptions about what exactly is going on. It doesn't isolate the viewer through needless and technically proliferous action. By the 3rd episode, I found its depth to be apparent. It is also nice that this appears to be a show that is both family oriented, and has adult themes. I think if you are the type of show goer that wants to see bullets flying everywhere and a bad guy put away at the end of each episode as it builds towards one epic and final exclamation, this is not for you.