Tweet
Flickering Myth
July 23 2014
The Strain - Episode 1 Review
July 22, 2014 by Gary Collinson Leave a Comment
Martin Carr reviews the first episode of The Strain...
A Boeing 767 flying out of Berlin lands at JFK and goes dark. Its
fuselage is cold. Every window blind is drawn except one and the
passengers are silent. Someone calls in Ephraim Goodweather (Corey
Stoll) from the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) to investigate.
Together with Jim Kent (Sean Astin) and Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) he
begins ruling out viral possibilities before this new contagion
reaches Manhattan.
Meanwhile Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley), an old Armenian
pawnbroker, watches from his Harlem bolthole as media interest turns
to increasing concern. Something without conscience is intent on
eradicating the population, which will require more than the efforts
of one old man and a team of experts to quash. Elsewhere ailing
billionaire Eldrich Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) awaits the arrival of a
visitor. For both men know there will be no second chances.
In its opening minutes The Strain is most reminiscent of Soderbergh's
Contagion crossed with 24. Time clocks pop up every other scene to
instil urgency, while physical contact stats are bandied around before
we even get on the plane. Character development feels unforced and
efficient while movie homages are rife. Guillermo del Toro and Chuck
Hogan have laid the groundwork here for others to follow. This
reinvention of the Dracula myth adapted from their trilogy is
intricately layered but ultimately character driven. Directed by the
man behind Pacific Rim and Pan's Labyrinth, at its heart The Strain is
about the power a single emotion has to overrule all others.
Corey Stoll as 'Eph' pronounced 'F', is a separated father married to
the job, devoted to a son and attempting to save his marriage. David
Bradley as Abraham Setrakian has survived concentration camps, faced
down the most barbaric of humiliations yet remains resolute,
harbouring his devotion beneath a pawnbrokers shop in Harlem. Other
team members are not allowed to show any cards yet, hence Jim Kent
(Sean Astin) and Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) have little impact on
proceedings. What we do get to see is Stoll's 'everyman' abilities,
which he so effectively showcased as manipulated congressman Peter
Russo in season one of House of Cards. However for all his running
around it is not Stoll, but David Bradley as a thinly veiled Van
Helsing archetype who leaves the larger impression.
Bradley recently played William Hartnell in dramatization An Adventure
In Space and Time, which charted the birth of Doctor Who. It is
however as Filch the caretaker of Hogwarts that most people will
remember him. Both himself and Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer have
minimal screen time but exploit these limits fully. In a role
originally played by John Hurt he proves adept at scene stealing. No
more so than when he is pressing a knife tip to the radial artery of
an assailant.
What ultimately appeals to me is the breadth which del Toro and Hogan
have worked into this first episode. There are holocaust references,
both in relation to Abraham and also the 'Stoneheart' group lead by
Hyde's Eldritch Palmer. There are film 'easter eggs' throughout to Men
In Black, Schindler's List, Don't Look Now and Shallow Grave, not to
mention Fincher's use of text messaging in House of Cards replicated
here. Moments of graphic violence are undercut with pitch black comedy
and delivered with a delicate touch. I would give you an example but
that would ruin the surprise. Suffice to say that after the
disappointment of Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro has thrown down the
gauntlet here redeeming himself in the process.
http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/07/strain-episode-1-review.html
July 23 2014
The Strain - Episode 1 Review
July 22, 2014 by Gary Collinson Leave a Comment
Martin Carr reviews the first episode of The Strain...
A Boeing 767 flying out of Berlin lands at JFK and goes dark. Its
fuselage is cold. Every window blind is drawn except one and the
passengers are silent. Someone calls in Ephraim Goodweather (Corey
Stoll) from the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) to investigate.
Together with Jim Kent (Sean Astin) and Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) he
begins ruling out viral possibilities before this new contagion
reaches Manhattan.
Meanwhile Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley), an old Armenian
pawnbroker, watches from his Harlem bolthole as media interest turns
to increasing concern. Something without conscience is intent on
eradicating the population, which will require more than the efforts
of one old man and a team of experts to quash. Elsewhere ailing
billionaire Eldrich Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) awaits the arrival of a
visitor. For both men know there will be no second chances.
In its opening minutes The Strain is most reminiscent of Soderbergh's
Contagion crossed with 24. Time clocks pop up every other scene to
instil urgency, while physical contact stats are bandied around before
we even get on the plane. Character development feels unforced and
efficient while movie homages are rife. Guillermo del Toro and Chuck
Hogan have laid the groundwork here for others to follow. This
reinvention of the Dracula myth adapted from their trilogy is
intricately layered but ultimately character driven. Directed by the
man behind Pacific Rim and Pan's Labyrinth, at its heart The Strain is
about the power a single emotion has to overrule all others.
Corey Stoll as 'Eph' pronounced 'F', is a separated father married to
the job, devoted to a son and attempting to save his marriage. David
Bradley as Abraham Setrakian has survived concentration camps, faced
down the most barbaric of humiliations yet remains resolute,
harbouring his devotion beneath a pawnbrokers shop in Harlem. Other
team members are not allowed to show any cards yet, hence Jim Kent
(Sean Astin) and Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) have little impact on
proceedings. What we do get to see is Stoll's 'everyman' abilities,
which he so effectively showcased as manipulated congressman Peter
Russo in season one of House of Cards. However for all his running
around it is not Stoll, but David Bradley as a thinly veiled Van
Helsing archetype who leaves the larger impression.
Bradley recently played William Hartnell in dramatization An Adventure
In Space and Time, which charted the birth of Doctor Who. It is
however as Filch the caretaker of Hogwarts that most people will
remember him. Both himself and Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer have
minimal screen time but exploit these limits fully. In a role
originally played by John Hurt he proves adept at scene stealing. No
more so than when he is pressing a knife tip to the radial artery of
an assailant.
What ultimately appeals to me is the breadth which del Toro and Hogan
have worked into this first episode. There are holocaust references,
both in relation to Abraham and also the 'Stoneheart' group lead by
Hyde's Eldritch Palmer. There are film 'easter eggs' throughout to Men
In Black, Schindler's List, Don't Look Now and Shallow Grave, not to
mention Fincher's use of text messaging in House of Cards replicated
here. Moments of graphic violence are undercut with pitch black comedy
and delivered with a delicate touch. I would give you an example but
that would ruin the surprise. Suffice to say that after the
disappointment of Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro has thrown down the
gauntlet here redeeming himself in the process.
http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/07/strain-episode-1-review.html