Genres

Visitors Review

aclark-863-708992 2012-05-23 18:13:37

love the new Hawaii Five-O !!!

As a member of the "older" generation who grew up with the old HawaiiFive-O, I watched with great interest how the new one would comparewith it. After watching the first three episodes, I have to say thatthere is nothing to compare except the location. It is beautifully donefor the 2lst century. The format for the old show would look dated andold - not only to young viewers but even to the over 50 set likemyself. The cast is wonderful and, truthfully, the main reason I watchthis show is that I've been an Alex O'Loughlin fan since Moonlight. Heis a very dynamic and charismatic young actor, and I truly hope thathis role as McGarrett will afford him the opportunity to reallyshowcase his acting talent and not just have him as a pin-up boyvigilante. He is so much more than that. This show has so muchpotential for character development and crime-fighting stories. Let'sall just sit back, get to know the characters and just enjoy this greatnew show. The only drawback for me ---- way too many commercials !!!

aiturnizzle 2012-05-22 19:54:16

Not bad

I'm a fan of Alex O'Loughlin's so i made sure to catch this one (eventhough i'm already inundated with procedural cop shows!), but waspleasantly surprised to see how well this worked.I'm a little too young for the original, but this remake has somepromising features. The action is believable, has good pacing, and thecharacter development in the first episode seemed pretty good.The dialogue was clichéd in some parts, but the interactions betweenDanny and Steve are amusing and really works well in allowing theviewer to warm to the characters.I'm giving it an 8 out of 10 rating for the pilot alone, so hopefullythe season maintains this level of quality! I also got a kick out ofseeing Norman Reedus, Will Yun Lee (lol the accent) and SPIKE! *ahem*James Marsters making guest appearances :)

pensman 2012-05-21 21:31:38

Not the O

There can be only one Steve McGarrett and Alex O'Loughlin isn't him. Ihad hoped to like this series but there is nothing new or old here.Alex O'Loughlin leads a cast without chemistry. While it's nice to seeHawaii again as background, it's not enough. Scott Caan comes across asmore of a poor imitation of Don Johnson's Crockett than a fleshed outDanny Williams. Instead of living on a boat with a crock, he has a kid.Big change for the worse. And plot is just shoot em up BurnNotice/N.C.I.S. Los Angeles. There is a lot of yelling, a few sob'stossed about (no doubt to prove it's an adult show), and big guns.Yawn.

someofusarebrave 2012-05-21 07:47:19

WoW

Ye Gods, do I love this show. I never would have expected that I would. The sole female maincharacter is young and thin and blatantly, brazenly physical; thisgenerally seems a recipe for disaster, particularly in shows that arejust starting out.Somehow here this works. Somehow with this show everything just WORKS,for absolutely no reason aside from the fact that it is all carried outso darn well. The writing is taut and entertaining, the dialogue iswitty and humorous during the perfect moments for it to be. Thedirectors of every episode so far that I have seen have been excellent.That in itself is quite the feat, and props must go to whomeverdeserves them. Meanwhile all of the actresses and actors seem perfectlycast, and capable, and genuine enough to be likable.I have never seen a show that WORKS from the very beginning so well.Keep doing what you're doing, folks. You do it exceptionally well.

carchero 2012-05-20 12:45:06

Another Disappointing Show

I didn't expect this show to be totally like the original seriesbecause, hey, this is a new day. But what I did expect were story lineswith meat to them. This new McGarrett & Danno look like some wane,unshaven slobs that have no grit. Danno is a hothead who is alwaysgoing over the top. He also acts typical-Italian with the handgestures. I thought he would say, "badda-bing" any minute! Where's theshock? Where's the attention grabber? Where's the suspense? It ain'there in this show! The white actors were all wrong! Wasn't McGarrettsuppose to be part Hawaiian? He didn't even lead the team in this show.All he did was stand back and watch as Danno had tantrums. I think theshow is fixable, but they'd better do it soon. The way it is now, Iwon't be watching it. My brain can't take it!

Mel J 2012-05-19 22:07:28

Highly entertaining cop show

I have never seen an episode of the original 'Hawaii Five-O' (althoughI will certainly give it a go if it is ever repeated on television) soI have no preconceptions of what to expect with this rebooted version.However, I do love American cop shows and have been looking forward tothis since I first heard it was being produced. For those unfamiliarwith the premise, the show is set in Hawaii and centres on a newlyformed police unit consisting of ex-Navy SEAL Steve McGarrett, NewJersey detective Danny Williams (who has grudgingly moved to Hawaii tobe with his young daughter), wrongly disgraced Hawaiian detective ChinHo Kelly and his rookie cousin Kono Kalakaua (who, apparently, was aguy in the 1970s version but is played by Grace Park in this version).'Hawaii Five-O' is very much a light, fast action show and doesn'tpretend to be anything more. To watch this show, you are required tosit back, relax and suspend your belief. since the characters and storylines are the television version of 'Bad Boys' and 'Lethal Weapon'. Asa fan of shows like 'LA Heat' and 'Fastlane', it is refreshing to seethe car chases, cop banter and beating up of bad guys that is found in'Hawaii Five-O'. If you are wanting realism and dark story lines thenwatch 'Criminal Minds' or 'Blue Bloods' instead, both of which are alsogood for different reasons to why this show is enjoyable. There is somuch realism on television today that I do like something that is pureand simple fun although I do hope that as the show progresses, we willsee the characters develop and strengthen.It certainly a show that deserves a look-in. Even if one doesn't likethe characters or the story lines, it's worth watching just to seebeautiful Hawaii and the wonderful sun (for British viewers, this isprobably the only chance we'll get to see the sun until June, ifthen!).

enitria 2012-05-15 05:54:30

This is Five-O for the 21st century

OK, I'm 56, I saw the original show when it was on prime time and Ieven grew up at Queen Emma Gardens in downtown Honolulu, i.e., I'm anold fart fan of the old show. Them's my creds and my advice is toignore the reviewers here dissing the show because it isn't like theoriginal.I think this is a great reboot. This show is *not* made for the oldfarts who watched it way back when and are pining for the fjords, thisshow is made for a 21st century audience who has the vague knowledge ofan ancient pop-culture icon that had a decent theme song. If they hadmade a show identical to the original I would have probably turned itoff half way through. This show is ideal for the holy grail 25 through45 year old demographic. In a way it reminds me of the good job BadRobot did with Star Trek 2009, where they rebooted a mid 1960s TV showfor a 21st century audience. Face it folks, action, quick cuts andtight editing are here to stay. As far as some of the elements peoplehave been bitching about like the governor offering full immunity tohis group, so what? Makes for a fun show which also does not takeitself too seriously. It's a fine line to walk, but the writers did anexcellent job in the pilot.With a small ensemble cast, this is going to work out as an addictiveaction/buddy show because the leads have the energy and the charisma topull it off. I'm also excited because this episode was quite good andit was only the pilot. Oftentimes the show gels between the pilot andthe follow-on episodes since there's so much time in-between to refineit, incorporate feedback and develop even more on-set chemistry betweenthe actors. As far as character development I don't know whether someof the reviewers here have been living in a cave but television showstoday employ a story arc across several shows to flesh out thecharacters. I hate nothing more than (for example) the L&O model oftacking on a personal life to the crime drama as an afterthought versusthe tight integration between crime drama and personal life that isfound in shows like Numb3rs and In Plain Sight.Frankly, I don't know what reviewers here are complaining about sincewe're actually getting a detailed origins story up front, which thewriters didn't even bother with the 1968 original. As far therelationship between Steve and Danny goes, and going with the originstheme of the pilot, you're looking at two individuals being throwntogether for the first time. Respect has to be earned if it's supposedto mean anything and it allows for more, not less, characterdevelopment later on. I also like the more combative Danny in thisversion as I always thought the old Danny was more of a doormat. Heck,even MAD magazine made fun of Danny. Don't get me wrong, JamesMacArthur's Danny was well acted, but that version of Hawaii Five-O waswritten about and around one person... Jack Lord as Steve McGarret.*Spoiler Part*: As others have mentioned, the bad guy's body isn'trecovered. Yep, it's called story-arc (remember the key he found in thetool box?), he'll be back and I'm wagering it's the windmill McGarretis going to be tilting at this season. All in all, I'm very muchlooking forward to the next episode.By the way, speaking to the post-55 demographic: You have decent viewernumbers, so you if you want your old timey shows, then you're going toneed to pony up the money and buy what sponsors advertise, that's theonly way you'll get respect.Book 'em on my DVR, Dano.

dpenwarn 2012-05-14 19:06:48

Exotic locales can't save this turkey

It would be unfair to compare this latest incarnation of Hawaii 5 O tothe original as this is, apparently, a "re imagining " of the sixtiesclassic. Presumably that means that, locations and charactersnotwithstanding, this show is trying to be something the original wasnot. I agree with that, because, while the Jack Lord classic was neverless than entertaining, this show is anything but. For example, theplots are repetitive and the dialogue is laughably bad. To be fair,that could be said of any number of crime dramas on television today,but what makes Hawaii 5 O an especially gruelling viewing experience isthe acting, which ranges from indifferent to just plain bad. Thewriters and, by extension the actors, have made the charactersunlikeable. To me, that's the kiss of death for any series.If you can'tinvest in the characters, what's the point of watching? What's reallysurprising is that this show comes from the normally reliable producersof "Lost" and "Fringe", two shows that tower above this junk. Whitesilver sands and palm trees swaying in the breeze can't save this verypoor show.

Sasha Yakubenko 2012-05-12 06:12:31

Love it!

I haven't seen the original series, so i won't compare the new to theold. Hawaii caught my full attention from the first minutes of thefirst episode. The mixture of action, humor is just perfect for me. Thecharacters are amazing, and i really love them all :-) and this is ofcause due to the amazing actors! The dialogs and overall relationsbetween Danno and Super Seal are hilarious (can you say bromance here?whatever you like, but i feel it) And why hide? I'm just in love withSteve :-) all his "taking off shirt" scenes are one of many things whyyou should see the series (shut up! i'm a girl, i have a right to watchTV-show because of the hot cast)). So together: hot cast, nice plot,intriguing storyline, hilarious dialogs and great action scenes =amazing TV-show "Hawaii 5-0". Really looking forward to the 4 season!!!Excuse my English mistakes, i'm not a native speaker)))

DKOSTY 2012-05-12 00:21:13

Book Them, Danno

This series is being revived by CBS & the script of the pilot prettymuch followed the original pilot episode of the first pilot years agowith some important differences. Grace Park is a difference & a new oneas the original one was pretty much a boys club years ago.The most important difference I saw in this first show is theestablishment of a confrontational relationship between Steve McGarrett& Danno. Seems they don't get along like they did on the old series.The Hawaii Scenery is still being used here. This being the old policeinvestigation series, the format is pretty much the same as theoriginal. Depending on where the scripts take it, will decide if thiseffort is going to last. The cast can carry it if they get scripts. Itis nice to see the curves of Hawaii back on the screen, especially on alarge screen TV.

halifax2012 2012-05-10 23:55:39

Leaves The Original Series Standing

To all the people who keep on commenting, that the original version wasfar better. To you I say, just keep watching the corny, over actedoriginal version. This series is in no way directed towards the youngerelements of society. I am 67yrs old, and think that this new version ofHawaii Five-0, is what the original series should have been. I agreewith an earlier review, that there is more interaction between thecharacters, without the over acting of Jack Lord who in my opinion wasvastly overrated, as was the original version. Daniel Dae Kim and GracePark perform with vigour, as they did in their respective Lost andGalactica series. I have never been a great admirer of Scott Caan, butin this series he is excelling himself. as for Alex O'Loughlin, what agreat attraction for the ladies ( Unlike Jack Lord, who liked himselffar too much to bother about anybody else ). Nobody in this series actas if the show would not survive without them, but gel togetherperfect. Don't worry that this new series will not stand up to theoriginal, it does more than that, it exceeds it.

paul-3178 2012-05-10 10:06:58

Sucks. Jack Lord would be turning in his grave.

So corny. Danno story? What kid tries to say their dad's first namebefore learning daddy? McGarret shows up and the governor just giveshim carte blanche to do whatever the hell he wants no matter if it islegal or not? Beating a prisoner to get information out of him? Otherguy is kicked out of police force because they say he took bribes, buthe says he didn't then McGarret just let's him back in? Guy who's beenconvicted of taking bribes has a cousin who is now in the police force?How could she pass a background check if her cousin had been kicked offthe force for taking bribes? My ten year old daughter could writebetter stories than this. I bet money that one of the story lines downthe road is where Danno's ex-wife's husband turns out to be some kindof crime figure and Danno busts him and get's his wife back.....Watchand see, I won't be watching...

Steve 2012-05-03 05:49:39

A big disappointment!

Like a lot of people we were looking forward to the new series ofHawaii 5-0 but i have to say that after 2 episodes i am not sure i canwatch it again. Love Hawaii, love the scenery but not sure that isenough to keep me interested week in week out. I thought that the firstepisode might be a one off in terms of a formulaic plot development andstory line and that it could only get better. Unfortunately, episodetwo has just confirmed my fears that the producers have gone for theeasy option of buff guys and gals, nice scenery, nice cars and lots ofnoise in place of a decent story and any attempt at characterdevelopment. The H5-0 theme is the best thing about the show but to behonest they could have called the show anything as it bares no othersimilarity to the original. And just for the record i am no die hardfan of the original by any means but from what i have seen of the newversion this show could easily have been so much better.

cdunbar-3 2012-05-02 20:04:35

Series has big shoes to fill but room to grow

If you're a fan of the original series, your take on this revampingwill probably depend on how much a purist you are. The pilot beginswith an interesting premise that offers thorough background informationon the origins of the team. It's a slick looking production, in that ittakes advantage of the locale and the attractive leads. Having saidthat…the series would work better if it had created new characters.Anyone who loved Jack Lord will find Alex O'Loughlin a poor substitutefor Steve McGarrett. He hasn't the same charisma. When recreatingcharacters from an original series, it's inevitable that there will beviewers who object to the substitutes. Had the producers started freshwith new characters, but kept the spirit of the original formulaintact, there would be less tendency to compare the two series; eachwould stand on its own merits. In that respect, the new Hawaii Five 0has a tough act to follow. None of the lead characters share strongchemistry, although with further episodes this might improve. Thestrongest element this new series has going for it is a well writtenplot; the dialogue could be crisper but as characters develop andwriters get a stronger feel of the material, that might happen. Overallverdict: no better than the other crime dramas currently on the air butcertainly promises room for improvement.

janus-20 2012-05-01 19:04:37

Hawaii Five- O WOW !

I LOVE this show, LOVE it, its just the shot in the arm TV needs, itsthe complete antithesis of most of the other American shows we get herein the UK and its such a welcome contrast.There are some superb TV shows on offer at the moment, Breaking Bad,Mad Men, genre shows like Dexter, Tru Blood and Walking Dead, alldiverse, all excellent top draw entertainment.Its the success of these shows that makes Five-0 such a greatalternative, its fast paced, funny, has plenty of crash, bang, wallopand it looks great.A guilty pleasure you say ? NO, this exactly what TV should be doing,offering choice, i hate reality and talent shows with every fibre of mybeing, but they cater to people who do like them, so i feel that ideserve an action packed cop show now and again.Choice is the key factor in everything we do for recreation today, TVlike it or not is a big part of peoples recreation, so its right thatit should be offering a diversity of shows that appeal to all tastes.As to the issue of remakes/boots, whatever, this tired argument ran outof steam on Battlestar Galactica, i ranted against the new one, thensat and watched it and realised that, you can like both, the hypocrisycops are not going to kick your door down. If you like it, good, if youdon't like it, good, but ranting about the revisiting of classics islike arguing with the weather. I used to watch the original Five-0 herein the UK (Saturday nights, ITV, late on) loved it, but i can find someroom for the new one too.This show has to get a second series, this is flat out brilliant TV, inthe middle of a worldwide recession, political and social upheavalrife, the upbeat, take no prisoners, ass kicking note of Hawaii'sfavourite Five-0 unit is just the tonic.

cdrridg 2012-05-01 05:30:17

Poorly done, supremely unrealistic, slightly funny

This remake is fine, in theory, yet the story-line is completelyunbelievable. The idea that an active duty Naval officer (SEAL) cansimply depart the Navy whenever he feels like it is truly beyondreality. The idea that the Governor can simply make this guy agun-toting police officer with zero police training or proceduralknowledge is laughable. The idea that a police academy cadet can simplypunch out a fellow surfer with impunity is pure insanity. Sure, theshow had some funny or interesting moments - but it goes way beyondsuspension of dis-belief into the realm of WTF? From the very beginningof the show it screamed silly - I don't hold out hope for much betteras it goes along.

lugn-147-28394 2012-04-30 15:13:22

One of the most stimulating series i ever watched.

I'm so happy that i started to watch Hawaii Five-O. All started when mybrother told me it was good. As he have one of the most weird tasteswhen it comes to movies, i first doubted his recommendation. But he wasright. This is one of the most stimulating series i ever watched. Normally ican tell what is to come in a movie, but this is outstanding work bythe writers. I can't predict the outcome at all, and every episode thatcomes it just keep getting better and better.Without telling to much, i think that the final episode is thegreatest, it made me feel like a junkie that just want more and more.It's amazing! Very few things have made this to me, and i can nothingbut recommend you to watch it, have fun, I'm positive you'll like it!

courtjes 2012-04-30 01:28:23

best remake of a great show!

Finally, a remake viewers of the old show can enjoy andappreciate....awesome cast, action, photography, plot. It could use alittle cool music in background, like Miami Vice used to do. Maybe someU2 or even Kenny Chesney or Toby Keith would add some emotional impact.The acting is first class and I like the way the Five 0 came together.Of course as a LOST fan, I love Daniel Dae Kim. I hope this show makesit, there are many cop shows on TV but the chemistry here is firstclass. Love it! One of the best lines in cop show was when the Bad Guysaid "what kind of cops are you?" and the answer was "The new kind."Lots of action but still time for character development. The old HawaiiFive 0 reminds of ethical cops trying to do a job. This show definitelycontinues the tradition of the cop trying to do his or her job. AGovernor who creates a super select police force like that would get myvote.

signup2010 2012-04-27 09:10:22

how predictable will it be?

As others have said, I do like seeing the locations in Hawaii. The showitself has some interesting ideas about how the world works. Forexample, I was not aware that a governor could grant criminal immunityto law officials. Maybe when your resume includes working atSugarbakers, you get special powers.The most troubling aspect of this pilot episode for me was the ending.The way the antagonist was defeated and the suggestion of "tell theCoast Guard to fish out the body." suggests that we may have arecurring antagonist. They never mention if the body is found.If I want to see this "Bad guy who cannot die," routine I will watchreruns of Crime Story. This antagonist didn't have the character or thehair to be a Ray Luca. It is my sincere hope that the show moves on toother stories and characters.

JJC-3 2012-04-27 02:25:14

"Book 'em Danno!"

Two episodes in and the new Five-0 is most assuredly a different animalthan its prior incarnation.And that is a good thing cause the old format would not play very wellin this fast paced hi tech internet era.The early interplay between the four characters promises to have a lotof exploration for back stories. Already McGarret & Williams have thegreat interplay of so many TV classic duos like Spock & Bones McCoy &Kramden & Norton just to name two.All in all this promises to be a fast paced show with the usual modernday cop show formats but with that great Hawai'i backdrop! All in all aworthy 21st century follow up to an all time TV classic!