|
|
|
Freedom |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
n the near future, war breaks out in the Middle East and domestic terrorism gets out of control in America. When Air Force One is shot down, the president is presumed dead. The U.S. stock market collapses, a series of bombings leaves thousands dead, and terrified Americans begin rioting in the streets. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by Gen. Walter Young (Georg Stanford Brown), suspend the constitution and declare a state of emergency.
The riots stop and the "temporary" martial law assures everyone gets food, water and power. But it also tramples over personal rights as travel is restricted, identity papers are demanded and the media is secretly censored.
Members of the military who ask the wrong questions or refuse to follow the orders of the new regime are thrown out of the service and arrested for treason. Four former soldiers, all with Special Forces-type training, have been sentenced to extreme prison terms for treasonous acts. Fiercely patriotic, they believe that what's happened to the United States of America is wrong. While serving time in prison, they meet and become friends.
Fifteen months later, the resistance frees Owen Decker (McCallany) and the others. It seems the Joint Chiefs turned on Gen. Young when he suggested they rescind martial law. Young's wife and children are being held captive and will be killed if he doesn't turn himself in. Now it's up to Decker and his crew to save the man who was responsible for their imprisonment.
It's a job that only specially trained soldiers, like Decker and the others, can handle. If they succeed, they are free to go. Or they are free to stay and help the resistance restore the America that has been lost.
Action mixed with a lofty message
Freedom is an interesting mix of high-testosterone martial arts action and high ideals. The opening sets up the series with the explanation of how Americans, used to the safety brought about by two decades of peace and prosperity, would so easily give up the very ideals upon which their country was built. The series argues that freedom is fragile, and we could lose it if we're not careful.
That's an intriguing idea for a show that will hold strong appeal for fans of UPN's WWF Smackdown. And for the most part, it works. Freedom was created by Tobeason (The Visitor, seaQuest DSV), who did a nice job in writing the solid pilot episode. Just enough time is given to develop the four major characters, and the action is mostly there for a reason. It's pretty obvious that there isn't a big budget, but the action scenes are nicely staged and are Matrix-like without being unrealistic.
Budget constraints are more apparent by the lack of scenes that would involve a crowd or complex sets. The biggest problem is that this series about American freedom feels very small with this initial outing. Such a narrow focus could end up being a big problem for a show with lofty ideals.
However, the reason Freedom works is largely due to the appealing cast. McCallany, McCrary and Elfman are promising and fresh in their demanding roles. Quality guest stars Brown and James Morrison hopefully won't be strangers to Freedom.
There must be something about America's present peace and prosperity that invites big filmmakers like Joel Silver and James Cameron (Dark Angel) to tear it down right in our living rooms, packaged with martial arts action. Or perhaps after 200 years it's just time to remind us what America is all about in a way that just might make us want to watch. -- Kathie
Also in this issue: The X-Files "Within" and "Without", Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula
|
 |
|
| Home |
Copyright © 1998-2006, Science Fiction Weekly (TM). All rights reserved. Reproduction in any medium strictly prohibited. Maintained by scifiweekly@scifi.com. |
