Genres

Visitors Review

dies-somnium 2012-05-25 00:41:18

Not worth your time.

I was a little excited when i saw the trailer, its been pretty slow onthe TV scene recently and I've been looking for something to engage me.Alphas wasn't it - its the same dull formula that's been seen dozens oftimes before, the acting was flat and the chemistry between thecharacters seemed a little awkward at times, the plot was predictableand nothing at all peaked my interest in the characters or compelled meto want to tune in next week. I wanted to give it less than a 5/10 butif I'm honest I've seen worse attempts and its watchable if your boredand there's really nothing else on.I would wish the show good luck but really i hope its cancelled - andthe sooner syfi can come up with something else and maybe hit the markthis time round.

Nathan Makalena 2012-05-24 04:53:17

Alpha Review

This year I was watching two Sci-Fi series. Alphas and Falling Skies. Ihave to say Alphas has wiped the floor with Falling Skies. It has agood characterization without getting away from the nitty grittyaction. Falling Skies seemed at first like a great series but despiteit being about aliens invading earth it was more terrestrially basedthan out of this world. Alphas managed that perfect blend of showingcharacters and fight scenes. I'm looking forward to the next episodevery much.I'm living in the UK so am watching it on 5* but if thoseacross the pond have reached the end of the series I hope it's good.There is still lots to be told with quite a good plot line with twistsand turns. It isn't that complicated but at the same time they haven'tdumbed it down like most Sci-Fi shows.

scottpelath 2012-05-24 01:07:28

Very Inventive Writing

First of all, yes, this show has a re-hashed premise (tons of comics,as well as the X-Men and Heroes Movie and TV franchises, not to mentionNo Ordinary Family and Mutant X), but really, what's the big deal aboutcopying a high concept about a team of super-humans fighting anotherteam of super-humans? It's what the show adds to the genre thatmatters.What Alphas adds is relative realism. Each power has a steep geneticprice: seeing and accessing radio waves is accompanied by autism, andrecognition of all languages is accompanied with the inability tocommunicate. Adding to this, Gary's visualizing signals is actually oneof the only truly "unbelievable" abilities. Most of the others could bedrawn from youtube videos (lifting a car off a baby or throwing aquarter into a Coke machine from across the room). This "down-to-earth"mindset for its creation allows the viewer to more readily suspenddisbelief when required.The acting is only okay, but Sci-Fi Network is not really known forphenomenal acting. I'll admit that certain characters were gratingearly on, but what makes up for that is the writing. Not the dialog perse, but the in-episode concept and plot development are certainly to beadmired. Between the visual representation of a DDoS attack in theepisode "Rosetta" and the bottle episode "Blind Spot" (whichbrilliantly hid its lack of computer graphics), the writing (as well asdirection) is captivating and original. The show take the best elementsof a supernatural thriller and grounds it the plausibility that comesfrom a scientific explanation (many times using real phenomena unknownto most of the audience), and the realism of a procedural cop drama.Detractors may decry its repeated high concept, but Alphas is a notablepositive addition to the genre.

shekhark4 2012-05-23 14:10:50

Alphas shies from breaking new sci-fi ground

with great power comes great responsibilities, but the writers ofsuperheroes show never seem to get that.Gary Bell is autistic with an ability to (believe it or not) processelectromagnetic info right from thin air, literllay. Bill Harken, aformer FBI agent who can enhance his strength for a brief period oftime; Nina Theroux, can reprogram other people's minds to do as shewants. Rachel Pirzad, who can heighten her senses and do almostanything with them. In the first episode they try to track down anotheralpha with Hyperkinesis or heightened and acute skills and accuracy.This alpha in question is Cameron Hicks (Warren Christie, The L Word)and he doesn't know just how special he is, but another alpha (JeffSeymour) with the ability of mind wipe and control, orders him to gundown an inmate through an air vent several buildings away. Thatmurderous act caught the attention of the government and our alpha'sboss Rosen (David Straithairn). The inherent problem with any series involving people withextraordinary power is that how those will be utlized by writers tocreate interesting story lines. Heroes started good, but after sometimeit became confusing with all the time travel and power shifting. Alphaspilot episode, involving a mysterious sniper attack and aconspiratorial threat to the Alphas team, is routine. It's neither herenor there: low on sci-fi mystery and intrigue and not yet convincing asensemble drama. you never feel the thrill or tension. The mostenjoyable thing about the pilot is the performance of gary bell (Cartwright), who does pretty much the same neurotic, hand- gesturingthing here that he did as Nigel-Murray on "Bones." our alphas havegreat powers but its success will come down to how the superpowers aregoing to be used. How inventive can they be?

dougo13 2012-05-22 16:10:56

More dumb fun Syfy Summer series

Laughable. Stop trying to make Canadian cities look to be US ones (allthe Ontario license plates and that Purolator delivery truck should bedead giveaways that the show is in Canada and not in NYC (asdepicted)). Haven't we seen this all before in Mutant X? I guess SyFymust like it 'cause it's cheaper to make than Stargate Universe. Thewhiny kid could do with getting himself blown up...or better yet, lethim drive the car. It will result in an accident and we'll be rid ofhim. So far I've not seen anything out of the ordinary with this show.I notice that demographically, us over 40's seem to think this show isaverage while the under 20's think it's the best thing since slicedbread. Stick around kids. You haven't seen enough really good stuffyet...PS At least the Marc Bolan/T-Rex fans should get a kick out of themusic and references. I'm not a fan, so I didn't...

uchio 2012-05-21 22:50:59

X-Men meets CSI

If X-Men and CSI had sex then had a baby, that baby would be this show.Everything in this show has been done. Not only that, everything inthis show has been done better. The acting is not terrible, but neverrises about the mediocre script.Alphas is a show about mutants with special powers. Only in thisseries, they are called - you guessed it - Alphas. Dr. Rosen leads agroup of good Alphas who use their powers to stop bad Alphas, much likeXavier and his X-Men. Red Flag are the bad guys. They are the Magnetoand Brotherhood of Mutants of this series. Throughout season 1 we learnmore about the motives of Red Flag and of a place called Binghamton,which is supposed to help Alphas live with their powers.Alphas is at best an average show, full of clichés and plot holes.While it is far from the worst show on TV, it's certainly not the best.You'd be much better off watching the X-Men movies or Heroes to getyour mutant fix.

nigelridehalgh 2012-05-20 18:09:45

Loved it so far

I have to disagree with most of what the negative reviews say - Ithought the characterization and the acting were excellent so far, withthe promise of much more to develop as the series goes on. Of coursethe basic concept of the show is not new, or breaking any particularlynew ground yet, but it seems well done and definitely worth a watch.There are so few shows that are ever completely original, so not tryingthis series out because because you've already seen another 'group ofpeople with special abilities' series would be a shame.I think one of the best aspects so far is the way in which all thecharacters talents appear to complement each other and the situation,in a way that seems much more natural and less forced or coincidentalthan other shows of this genre, which I imagine is not easy to achieve.I am looking forward to the next few episodes extremely keenly.

lordmagic 2012-05-19 18:33:53

Very good for a Copycat

OK Alphas meaning " Alpha Male " a term of Evolution just Like " Mutant". Sound familiar? Think X-men.Dr. Rosen = Professor X ( without ability ) taking in and searching for" ALPHAS " to help them realize their potential and help them controltheir abilities. His team of "ALPHAS" fighting the EVIL team of ALPHAS"RED FLAG" ergo ( X-men vs Magneto and friends or Brotherhood of EvilMutants...you decide ). Either way, its a new spin on another comicbook Idea that is over 30 years old. Not to say it's not entertainingand I like that they highlight the handicapped and show them howpowerful they can be in other ways, especially for the comic book lover( like me ) out there but, come on SyFy, come up with something a bitmore original please..... I am begging you.

Bolthouse 2012-05-19 22:02:42

Yes! This is an excellent show!

This is an excellently done show, and any negative review is completelywrong! I was a little wary to watch it at first because I figured itwas just another random SyFy show, but I was sorely mistaken. The showis essentially about people able to tap into extraordinary abilities(called "Alphas") because of a unique neurological difference, workingtogether to fight a criminal group with similar abilities.The show was expertly done, with every character thoroughly establishedin the pilot. I was immediately gripped by the show after the firstline (watch it, it's funny and dramatic all at once). I was actuallyexpecting it to falter but I have to say that not once did the show notkeep me interested. All the characters mesh well together (check outthe hilarious banter between Gary and Bill, played by Ryan Cartwrightand Malik Yoba respectively), and luckily it's not one of thoseannoying shows where people have abilities without limit, yet somehowfind a way to thwart themselves by either "forgetting" their superpoweror just not using it for the sake of conflict (*cough* No OrdinaryFamily *cough*).While maintaining a superhuman atmosphere, this show realisticallyportrays an environment with extraordinary abilities that complementeach other in a complex and well thought out manner.My advice, give the show a chance. Watch the pilot and you won't bedisappointed. Awesome show with awesome characters, all of whom arewell-developed. This show will definitely make it to the top of your"must watch" list of the week!ALSO, TO EVERYONE SAYING GARY IS AUTISTIC, YOU ARE WRONG; HE HASASPERGER SYNDROME. YES, THEY ARE SIMILAR, NO THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.

dbkelley-1 2012-05-19 09:20:38

already developed characters, team has love/hate relationships - it's real life superheros in real life situations

so much fun, I can't wait for the next episode. finally a show thatdoesn't treat us like morons by showing us the minute details of how Amet B and had to work with C to create a new superhero team.nina has an obviously deep and hidden past, gary's character isinteresting and well executed and he has serious tension with Malik'scharacter, it's all very cool.The show gets right to work. Remember this was the PILOT episode thatalready went out and was approved with great viewing numbers in thepast.I expect some great things from the future episodes now that the actorsand writers have gotten to grow with time.

brewmaster411 2012-05-18 02:01:50

Re-telling of X-Men

Entertaining and fun to watch, but the Alphas are a nice retelling ofthe X-Men story. Dr. Rosen is a copy of Professor Xavier. Thecharacterizations are well done, starting with developed persona andrelationships. It will be interesting to get the back stories as theseries unfolds.All the characters not only have the Alpha gifts, but are OCD andotherwise mentally challenged. The best example is the nerdy Alex. Hehas no connection to normal human interaction and is obsessed with aparticular activity. Bottom line, I enjoyed this and will continue to watch, but I keptthinking of X-Men.

sagei 2012-05-17 09:10:13

No.

Guy shot in sealed interrogation room. Should grab you by the throat shouldn't it ?Not.The 'freaks banding together to fight evil' concept is decidedlywornout but they give it another shot anyway. And they fire blanks.The powers maybe different but everything else is mind numbinglysimilar to stuff that has been done before and done better.Not one character stands out to engage you intellectually oremotionally. The guy from bones is so like the guy from bones(with someextra hand waving) that you wonder if he is acting or if he just islike this all the time.Some decent parkour sequences but otherwise the pace is plodding. Thedialogue and chemistry between characters is flat. Cast, characters, dialogue, story etc not one thing caught my interestor aroused even a lukewarm desire to see the next episode. Wish them well and hope their work improves but doubt it.Thank you.

wmhogg 2012-05-17 02:45:54

Excellent Characters, Interesting Writing

This is going to be short because I've rated this a 10, with nothingbut delight over how this show is progressing.I just finished watching "Bill and Gary's Excellent Adventure". WithFringe off the air until the Fall, I really have to say that I havefound a satisfying summer replacement.The character's interactions are very creative and entertaining. Eachcharacter has flaws that make this so much more intriguing than asuper-hero action team, perfect and powerful in their own right, whosemain test is to overcome some all-powerful evil. I hope this show gets renewed, The big shock is that the Sci-FiChannel, (SyFY) is hosting this program. This is heads and tails abovetheir other fare, but a welcome surprise.I have to say that I think Gary is emerging as my favorite character inthe series.

CrispyJ 2012-05-16 06:24:59

Safe, soft science fiction

The recent SyFy lineup seem to be largely bland, watered down versionsof previous attempts at genre shows that just didn't bring in theviewers.Alphas follows this proud tradition in many ways. It is an obviousrehash of other, similar shows such as Heroes and The Cape. Anotherreviewer even noted the near shot-for-shot match of scene in the pilotto one in Heroes. I can only assume that this is a nod, or homage, toHeroes, as a coincidence would be hard to swallow. It seemed to me thatthey wanted to acknowledge what came before, before moving forward.One element that makes Alphas different from previous superhero showsis the strong reliance on their other influences. Another reviewermentioned cop shows; I myself feel Alphas to be a mix of Heroes andLeverage. The writers use the super abilities as a plot device to putjust enough of a spin on some typical investigation or caper stories tomake them feel fresh, while at the same time not delving quite deepenough into the science or 'reality' behind the powers to require theaudience to think too much (and thus drop out of the story). This is atrend that is seen in other SyFy shows such as Warehouse 13, Eureka andSanctuary. It's 'soft' sci-fi, and it allows the writers more freedomto stretch beyond a typical procedural to give the audience somethingnew, but without having to establish a hard set of rules that mightcome back to bite them later.One positive thing I see with this show is how the writers thus farhave a tight leash on the powers. Power creep is the bane of just aboutevery super hero story. Rather than having super heroes shooting boltsof something or stopping time, all of the abilities we've seen so farin Alphas (as of Episode 3) are merely enhancements of things peoplecan normally do (Gary being a possible exception; if he merely saw thedata streams, that would be one thing, but he seems to have a limitedability to manipulate them). This has the dual effect of being mucheasier to write for from a continuity standpoint while having much lessof an impact on the special effects budget.So I see it as a reasonably decent espionage/investigation/caper showthat happens to include super powers to help drive the plot. As long asthey don't let power-creep take over, they should be able to keep itgoing for a few years at least. It won't make any hardcore sci-fi fansfall in love with it, but it will definitely appeal to a wider range ofeveryday viewers.I am guessing that a wider, more apathetic audience appeals more toSyFy than a smaller, yet more dedicated group of fans like yougenerally see with science fiction shows. I believe that is the newdirection of SyFy, and I'll have to admit, it does make good businesssense.I think that was also an element in changing from SciFi to SyFy. It'snot about science fiction so much, but it feels just enough likescience fiction to be a reasonable replacement. Like, the diet coke ofscience fiction.

stephenrtod 2012-05-15 03:16:34

Struggle and Survival . . .

I especially appreciate the fact that even though the main characterspossess extraordinary powers and skills, they are pitted, regularly,against forces that press each one of them to dig down inside ofthemselves to produce their top-notch best effort. I find thatinspirational. It is also fascinating to watch the synergistic effectof the team becoming more than the mere sum of its parts. In theclassic sense, a very American concept of facing down formidable oddsand all pulling together.In "Anger Management," the initial premise makes it appear that theteam is over-matched and must be highly innovative in order to succeed.What is more interesting is that the threat, or antagonist, in everyepisode, is always someone who has a problem, someone who can actuallybe helped in some way by the team.To me, the sign of a really sophisticated plot involves more than mereman-versus-man chase scenes and shoot-em-ups. I like man versus selfand man versus society, and this is a show that reflects upon how eachof us, going about our daily routines, adds an enigmatic piece to theamalgam of what we call society, an entity that is constantly changingand really only realized or visualized when we find ourselves in somestressful situation, usually something like a war, a riot, some seriousconflict such the recent donneybrook over the deficit.I also like the focus upon the fact that most of us just idle alongmost of the time, only utilizing just a few percentage points of whatis actually our true potential.I like the show so much I have saved several episodes to watch againwith friends who will come out of town in the near future.There are simply no "dead spots" in the flow of events in "Alphas."Special effects are "gee whiz" amazing, but adhere to the laws ofphysics, biology, chemistry, astro-physics and other sciences.

carpetfibers 2012-05-14 15:29:16

Slow Start, but Promising Finish

I'll preface this review with a disclaimer: I tend to really enjoy theSci-Fi (SyFy) original series, even their "soft" science fiction shows.When I first caught the preview for Alphas back in June, I decided toadd the show to my DVR listing and promptly forgot about it. . . untillast this past week-end.I breezed through the first half of the show, finding it a good fillerfor housework and various chores that needed my physical attention. Itwasn't until episode three, "Anger Management," that the show began topull me away from my housework and requiring a more directed focus. Thelatter half of that episode in particular drew me to my couch, where Iwatched my hand over my mouth. It wasn't the plot line of the episode,the characters, or really the acting-- it was the directing.Alphas doesn't create an original story, present overly originalcharacters, or give us overwhelming twists in terms of plot. It does,however, tap into that indie aesthetic, that sort of natural feel thatyou find in film and more rarely television that causes personalinvestment. I was honestly surprised to find myself feeling this wayfrom what ultimately translates to a X-Men/Heroes cum procedural re-write. But the more I began to pay attention, the more I found the artdirection and the dialogue between the Alphas team-members reallypulling the show out of an easy type-caste.My recommendation is to watch the first season in one go. The writers,actors, and directer/s really came into their own as the season ended.As one other reviewer put it, the show managed to do a whole lot withvery little, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what thesecond season gives us.

eunichman 2012-05-13 18:08:33

A good quality interesting show

I like how the writers don't immediately pan from one ongoingsubstoryline to another each episode but allows each substoryline playout over time. What I don't like is this 10 month wait for the nextepisode... I love the show, don't get me wrong, but as with mostviewers, if the new season isn't out within a few months of the end ofthe old season i tend to forget about it and move on. There's only somany times one wishes to watch reruns when new content is alwaysemerging and i think it is a bad move for the producers to make viewerswait almost a whole year to see what happened after the end of the lastseason. People are impatient, especially when a nice cliffhanger endinglike the last epi gave us is left to rot and be forgotten.I will TRY to remember how good the show was but 10 months... i doubt iwill.

hep 2012-05-13 07:17:24

Moving backwards in time

I found nothing redeeming about this show. I couldn't understand theactors half the time because they talked over each other, the plottwists were obvious, and the sets dingy. This is to say nothing about the fact that the cookie-cuttersuperheroes perpetuate racist and sexist stereotypes -- the person withsuperhuman strength and anger-management issues? A big black guy. Theperson who can manipulate others to get anything? A sexy woman. Theperson who is hyper-sensitive? Obviously a woman. The perfect athleteand soldier? Gorgeous white guy. Oh, and the requisite tech geek? He'snot just socially awkward, he's *autistic* (is that geekist?). This from the network that made Starbuck a kick-ass woman? I love SyFyand they do a lot of things right, but this one is oh so wrong.

banteros 2012-05-11 23:57:28

Boring.

When you find yourself looking at the clock every now and then whilewatching a TV show and find that only 5 minutes had passed since thelast time you looked at the clock, you know that something is verywrong with the "entertainment."Since the Sci-Fi channel decided to dumb down their programming,including the new Sy-Fy for dummies name, I have been very disappointedwith that network. Still, I had hopes for "Alphas," given the premise,but it just didn't work out.This is "Heroes" for dummies or, even worse, "X-Men" for dummies. It isflat out boring. The characters are boring, the pacing of the show isboring, the dialogue is boring!When I looked at the clock again, already feeling very mentallyfatigued from the boredom and found that only half an hour had passed,I couldn't take it anymore. I shut it off.The dumbing down of America continues... to rave reviews.Sigh.

stefgrig 2012-05-11 11:51:50

Most of the reviews are premature , this has potential

It keeps getting better . Episode 1 was , lets say unremarkable . Anintroduction , but with most of the cards hidden . But episode 2 getsthings going . Opens up possibilities , starts giving us a backgroundfor the characters . And there is a transformation in progress , agroup of misfits starts to become a team .I do like the psychological aspect of it . And I will give this seriesa chance , will not judge it from 1 or 2 episodes . There are seriesthat started of slowly and matured into greatness . "The event" is oneexample , even though they never got back most of the viewers they lostdue to a slow start , in my opinion its their loss , as the seriesturned into one of the best .I think this is a series that will surprise me more with episodes tocome , and I will keep watching it . Characters are quirky , damagedand interesting , and the concept of alphas gives the series a hugewhite-board to sketch anything they want on it .I for one am looking forward for more .