DVD
Review | Forever Knight (Season 1)
Written by: Kage
Alan
Okay, I was a little bit spoiled before watching
this show. I’d seen and fallen in love with the pilot that starred
Rick Springfield as Det. Nick Knight. The show was slick, boasted a
terrific soundtrack, well acted and ended with the promise of
something more. Well, more turned out to entail some major recasting
(actor John Kapelos is the only person I could identify who stayed
with both shows), a relocation to Toronto and a less slick approach.
We’re talking a bit more nit and grit as they say. It took some
getting used to, but I believe I’ve sunk my teeth into this one.
Det. Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies) is a vampire,
only very people know. He was turned by a master named Lacroix (Nigel
Bennett) around 800 years ago. After spending some time being evil,
Nick decides to right many of his wrongs by helping those around him.
What better way than becoming an officer of the law? He’s also on the
prowl for a cure, which can come from one of a few different ways.
Unfortunately, there are those who would like the cure either for
themselves or for no one to possess. As for the show, each episode
finds Nick involved in some case with partner Schanke (Kapelos) and his
personal doctor, Natalie (Catherine Disher), who happens to know about
Nick’s condition and is trying to bring him back over to being human
again.
Rounding out the regular cast is a French vampire
named Janette (Deborah Duchene) who gives him a hand from time to time
and, of course, the Police captain, Joe Stonetree (Gary Farmer). Aside
from the “A” plot of each episode, there is usually an accompanying “B”
plot that involves flashbacks to an earlier time. Think of how
“Highlander” is set up and you’ll get the general idea. Oddly enough, I
don’t think this series was as watched as “Highlander.” It’s too bad,
because the first season shows great potential.
One might wonder what a show about a vampire cop
could do for 22 episodes. After recreating the pilot in a
less-than-satisfactory way, the show finds its own pulse. If there’s a
drawback, it’s the loss in slickness the pilot showed and somewhat
cheaper production values. I like that they aren’t hiding the fact it’s
shot in Toronto, but whatever budget their saving by doing so isn’t
adding as much to the screen as I would have hoped or expected.
Sony has released “Forever Knight” (Season 1) in
its original Full Screen format. Video quality leaves a bit to be
desired. The picture is incredibly grainy and looks as if this was
taken from VHS. It’s certainly not remastered and that’s a major
shame. Audio quality fares much better, so that’s a plus. As for
extras, we come up bone dry.
My only problem is that if a studio is going to
release a box set like “Forever Knight” and they’re not going to include
extras, yet charge the price tag they’ve put on the box, the least they
could do is clean up the video. I don’t mind being charged for quantity
so long as quality isn’t an issue. It is here. If I recall, I remember
reading about a number of fans who were trying to get this released.
They succeeded, only the studio appears to have only put in half the
effort. It’s a shame because this could be a nice hit for them.
Perhaps they’ll do better with Season 2. We can hope.
Season Rating: C (lower grade for video quality)
DVD Special Features: N/A
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