Heroes

Heroes is by no means a B-series, as its reception in the United States was exceptional, and indeed, expected. It stems from the tradition of American superhero comics, but it is naturally adapted to the needs of today's mainstream audience. This is not a problem at all because the superheroes are much more down-to-earth, and the series does not overflow with the same level of pathos and exaggeration that is typical of traditional American superhero comics and which is rather laughable in the European context. Of course, there have been many films and series on this topic in the last twenty years, but Heroes managed to come up with a very elaborate and ever-evolving world. It is a fantasy that does not differ much from our familiar world, it is just much more thrilling, mysterious, and colorful. Your neighbor or schoolmate could easily be a superhero. Some are unaware of their exceptional abilities, while some, on the other hand, are unsure how to deal with them, and some abuse them. Evil in the series is cunning, ruthless, and strong enough to maintain the tension until the last second. The screenplay is carefully handled, although an attentive viewer will eventually realize that the heroes with supernatural abilities often unnecessarily complicate things. Despite their best efforts, Heroes could not avoid some genre clichés, such as the villain's end, or rather the escape into the second season really didn't surprise me. In terms of direction, the episodes have maintained a decent level regardless of the director, and the cast was also appealing with the authors utilizing several previously unseen young faces, who did not disappoint alongside such established actors as Malcolm McDowell or new stars like Ali Larter. The screenwriter strike in the United States halted the production of the second season of the series. My relatively sober assessment is based on my cooler attitude toward superhero themes in comics, as I prefer realistic European comics or avant-garde fantasies like "Sandman." Overall impression: 75%. (01/02/2008)

First season – excellent; second season – praiseworthy; third season – oh well, I turned it off after three episodes... I wasn't enjoying it that much, I was repulsed, but why? What happened? It's still the same heroes, the same characters, only what had they gotten into? What kind of storyline was that? I just don't get it... That's why I'm only rating up to season 2, but maybe one day I'll take the plunge and watch the rest of season 3 and find out that the maglaz was just for show and it's actually okay again, but what if it's not? (01/13/2008)

Volume 1 – Genesis: A new star is shining in the TV skies. Heroes presents ordinary and likeable people coming to terms with their new supernatural abilities. Their stories become gradually intertwined thanks to the smart and well though-out script, while the predicted threat of an atomic bomb explosion and the demonic killer Skylar provide the necessary tension. It’s a joy to watch, though the season finale could have been a little better. 9/10 Volume 2 – Generations: The story is stretched with several utterly pointless diversions with the purpose of introducing new uninteresting and unlikeable characters, and on top of that, the empty script and the insufferable dialogues (repetitive and pathetic bollocks about fate, exceptionality, predetermination, etc.) have turned the older heroes into a shade of what they were in the first season. Due to the screenwriters strike, the season finale was split into several small episodes, which improved the pace, but wasn’t enough to help. 6/10 Volume 3 – Villains: There’s a clear effort to make the story grittier, they even use some horror elements and there are several major twists right away. Unfortunately, however, the characters, who’ve lost most of their personality in the second season, proved incapable of carrying on with their lives. It’s amazing how everything fell apart for the screenwriters. Half the heroes could be basically invincible, so in order to give the others a chance, the “omnipotent” ones must behave like morons. The constant time travel has turned Heroes into a confusing comedy packed with logical and factual errors, where the characters try to do something different in every episode, without being clear what leads them to that. Anyone can die, because they can be miraculously resuscitated in the next episode; anyone who saves anyone from certain death, in the following episode will be the victim of the person they rescued. And believe me, I didn’t exaggerate much in the previous sentence. Can you still take this seriously? Yeah, and before I forget, there’s no worse way to begin or end an episode than with Mohinder’s morsels of wisdom. They are pathetic… 4/10 Volume 4 – Fugitives: I’m beginning to feel hatred and aversion towards all the characters. If in the next episode Bennet repeats another four times that he’s behaving like an asshole because he wants to save his beloved Claire, I’m done with the series. (03/06/2009)

After Lost, I needed something to replace it at least a little. There's a chance that Heroes will eventually pull it off... The first season is really engaging and interesting plot-wise. The individual characters are surprisingly detailed. But the second season got off to a rather muddled start, and I'm leaving my initial enthusiasm behind. I have the feeling that they might get carried away in the 3rd season and invent one stupid thing after another. 3.5 stars.Favorite characters: Claire (07/26/2011)

Review of Season 1: Very engaging and worthy of 5 stars. Even though it gets more and more convoluted with each episode, the narrative still makes sense and you can easily find your way around. Unlike Lost, for example, I didn’t notice any filler and it’s a joy to watch such a perfectly thought out story. People who get hives when they hear the terms "fantasy" and "sci-fi" should avoid it. Review of Season 2: Somewhere around 3*. It starts to become an overcomplicated mess with many illogical moments, and script-wise, it's getting stale. Let’s see what will happen on Season 3. Review of Season 3: A bloated screenwriting farce that doesn't know where to go. Absurd, nonsensical and overcomplicated. The only thing that it’s missing is a superhuman that can kill with farts. The interweaving of fates makes absolutely no sense. There’s a nice word to describe this, “shite”. After the 5th episode I gave up and stop being interested in Kring's work. Final assessment: as a whole somewhere near the bottom of the ratings, but I leave 4* for the great first season only, and I will try to forget the rest. (02/01/2008)