ules Verne (Demetral) is a young man living in Paris who wants nothing more than to write great novels and plays about the future. But his plays are not popular, and he begins to wonder if he'll ever be a writer. He takes solace in spending time with his friends and sketching incredible machines, while hoping his dreams of becoming a successful writer will come true.
A strange man named Phileas Fogg (Praed) suddenly appears in his apartment and accuses him of trying to kill Queen Victoria with a terrible machine that tunnels underground. The queen is in Paris to meet the emperor of France for important negotiations. Jules is horrified by the accusation, but realizes that his ideas have been stolen and someone has created one of the machines from his sketches. Unsure of what part Jules might be playing in the conspiracy, Phileas kidnaps the young man and takes him to his airship. There Jules meets the multitalented Passapartout (Michel Courtemanche) and designs a machine that will detect when the Giant Mole machine is approaching.
However, Jules soon comes face to face with the commander of the Mole machine and the invention which was created from his idea. The leather-clad captain (Tracy Scoggins) has every intention of utilizing Jules' brilliant mind to help the League of Darkness throw Europe into an all-out war by kidnapping the queen. As Phileas, his second cousin Rebecca Fogg (Francesca Hunt) and Passapartout work to protect the queen and stop the League, they also realize that it is up to them to save Jules.
Fantastic machines and conspiracies
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a terrific new entry for the SCI FI Channel's Friday-night lineup. While the PR for this series likes to call it "steampunk," it's actually a mix of Jules Verne's adventures and the old Wild Wild West television series. Steampunk refers to a science fiction (punk) story set in the past, where the machines are steam-powered (steam). The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne does indeed have steampunk elements, but that handle isn't what makes the show good, old-fashioned entertainment.
Series creator Gavin Scott fashioned a reason for Jules Verne to run into the creations and characters (from Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days) of his own imagination by making Phileas Fogg a Victorian-era James Bond. Throw into the mix Rebecca, an Emma Peel type, as the first woman field agent for the British Secret Service and Passapartout as the comic relief, and it adds up to a fun mix of science fiction adventure and espionage during the 1800s.
The first episode, "Queen Victoria and the Giant Mole," is an excellent setup for the characters and the series, which effectively recreates the time period. The actors establish themselves quickly to create an appealing all-round cast. Future episodes promise plenty of inventive and creative stories that will feature rocket-powered vampires, Jesse James and time travel.
While Wild, Wild West may have done it first, that was a long time ago, and there hasn't been anything like it on television for a long time. With only one episode available for preview, it's impossible to know if the series will succeed at the job of entertaining us. It could have easily been expanded to two hours to help develop the characters and the mission of the League of Darkness. All one episode can do is offer the promise of things to come, and "Queen Victoria and the Giant Mole" does that quite nicely.
A show like this lives or dies on its villains and guest stars, which will include strong actors like David Warner, Patrick Duffy and Michael Moriarty.
-- Kathie
ules Verne (Demetral) is a young man living in Paris who wants nothing more than to write great novels and plays about the future. But his plays are not popular, and he begins to wonder if he'll ever be a writer. He takes solace in spending time with his friends and sketching incredible machines, while hoping his dreams of becoming a successful writer will come true.
A strange man named Phileas Fogg (Praed) suddenly appears in his apartment and accuses him of trying to kill Queen Victoria with a terrible machine that tunnels underground. The queen is in Paris to meet the emperor of France for important negotiations. Jules is horrified by the accusation, but realizes that his ideas have been stolen and someone has created one of the machines from his sketches. Unsure of what part Jules might be playing in the conspiracy, Phileas kidnaps the young man and takes him to his airship. There Jules meets the multitalented Passapartout (Michel Courtemanche) and designs a machine that will detect when the Giant Mole machine is approaching.
However, Jules soon comes face to face with the commander of the Mole machine and the invention which was created from his idea. The leather-clad captain (Tracy Scoggins) has every intention of utilizing Jules' brilliant mind to help the League of Darkness throw Europe into an all-out war by kidnapping the queen. As Phileas, his second cousin Rebecca Fogg (Francesca Hunt) and Passapartout work to protect the queen and stop the League, they also realize that it is up to them to save Jules.
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a terrific new entry for the SCI FI Channel's Friday-night lineup. While the PR for this series likes to call it "steampunk," it's actually a mix of Jules Verne's adventures and the old Wild Wild West television series. Steampunk refers to a science fiction (punk) story set in the past, where the machines are steam-powered (steam). The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne does indeed have steampunk elements, but that handle isn't what makes the show good, old-fashioned entertainment.
