Just bought the Dark Angel season 1 boxed set, and am currently three episodes in.
In case you don't know, it's a James Cameron-created series starring 19-year-old Jessica Alba, from 2000. It's science fiction, set in a moderately dystopian 2019; she's an escaped military experiment of genetic manipulation and Spartan-like conditioning.
It bears a lot of Cameron hallmarks. Highly visionary, well-made and emotive, but prone to two-dimensional characters and some illogical interactions.
One of the most remarkable things about it now, is how prescient it was. It predicted massive recession, a society-altering terrorist attack, surveillance drones, a second war in Iraq, and hackers attempting to play moral watchdog on the government and big business. Obviously most of these elements are presented in exaggerated form, but I do wonder if psychic powers are the secret to Cameron's success.
Unfortunately it's let down by a sledgehammer approach to gender roles. This is obviously a show that's been made in the wake of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, with its arse-kicking heroine and feminist slant, but it takes the movement to an extreme - rarely missing the opportunity to beat you over the head with the knowledge that men are pigs (aside from the main love interest, and the occasional largely silent bodyguard). We're scum, and the default attitude towards us should be disdain. It makes sense for lead character Max, who's had a childhood traumatised and life ruined by military men - that's a central concept of the show, and it's fine. But it's a world view that's shared by her friends and coworkers, and reinforced by nearly every straight white man she meets. I'd accuse the show of misandry, but... it's primarily written by men.
Still. It makes for good watching. It feels strange coming back to this after so long, when Jessica Alba is now more commonly associated with fairly fluffy roles, but she is perfect in this role of prickly yet feminine killing machine. You don't see the joins in her performance at all. Good action, involving plot, and a brilliantly conceived universe on display.
