A remake of
Hawaii Five-O (1968-80) that wisely avoids making too many changes (they even avoid updating the classic theme tune too drastically, sticking to an orchestra), the new-look Hawaii Five-0's pilot understands why its progenitor was a hit for 12 years and doesn't overcomplicate matters. It's a throwback, but one that will surely find an audience because, if you love buddy cop shows, this is a robust example. A prisoner transport in South Korea goes disastrously wrong under Navy SEAL Steve McGarrett's (
Alex O'Loughlin) command, during an attack masterminded by prisoner Anton Hesse's (
Norman Reedus) brother, Victor (
James Marsters), who's holding McGarrett's father (
William Sadler) hostage in Hawaii and demanding his sibling's release. However, with Anton killed in the melee of enemy gunship fire and explosions, Victor evens the score by carrying out his threat and killing McGarrett's dad. Soon after, McGarrett returns to his Hawaiian birthplace to investigate his old man's death, only to be presented with an interesting offer by state governor Pat Jameson (
Jean Smart). She wants him to lead a special task force, given jurisdiction to remove criminal elements from Hawaii, with her full support and no red tape. Accepting the offer, McGarrett's first assignment is to find a weapons dealer with a connection to his father's murderer, with the help of Detective Danny Williams (
Scott Caan), a divorced single father recently arrived from New Jersey; ex-cop Chin Ho Kelly (
Daniel Dae Kim), an old friend of his father's ousted from the force for alleged corruption; and Kelly's sexy cousin Kona Kalakaua (
Grace Park), a cop-in-training and exceptional surfer.
There's nothing here that's pushing the boundaries of television. It's a safe and stylish remake that gets most of the ingredients spot-on, and should appeal to anyone who dislikes the current trend for heavily serialized storytelling. It's an escapist cop show, pure and simple; set in a beautiful paradise, starring attractive leads, with plenty of testosterone-fuelled action and stunt work. The flavours of the original are intact, given a healthy dose of 21st-century adrenaline, courtesy of filmmaker
Len Wiseman (Underworld, Die Hard 4.0), who's behind the camera to ensure everything has a glossy finish. If the show can maintain the visual standard here (forgiving an abundance of clichéd "camera travelling over the ocean" shots), Hawaii Five-0 will be razzing retinas all year. The aerial photography of the island's scenery alone is worth seeing. The actual plot was thin, but that made it easier to enjoy the all-important character interactions. O'Loughlin (an actor CBS seem to worship, but who's yet to catch a break) is unfortunately the weak link, because his acting can't match his looks. Admittedly, it doesn't help that McGarrett's given a family tragedy to deal with from the opening scene, so spends the rest of the pilot grieving. Hopefully his iciness will defrost in the Hawaiian sun, although it currently makes him an unintentionally amusing straight-man to the considerably more appealing Scott Caan. Caan's the goofier half of the focal double-act, and receiver of the iconic "book 'em, Danno" line, and the tense relationship he has with O'Loughlin's character provides a lot of this pilot's fun. This is particularly evident in the first half, with the two detectives trying to assert their authority, before the show's plot takes over in the latter half.
It's too early to tell how well Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park will integrate into the show, as their characters are given short shrift here -- particularly Kim, who's practically reprising his role as Lost's Jin (sans subtitles). The only thing that sticks in the memory about Park's performance (easily the worst actress in
Battlestar Galactica), is how impossibly narrow her waist is. At least in this pilot, she's the eye candy -- introduced surfing waves wearing a bikini, later ordered to strip down to her underwear while undercover. Overall, Hawaii-Five-0 didn't really blow me away, but I was entertained for the hour and the pilot did a good job setting up its premise and characters. It remains to be seen how successfully the quartet of actors will knit together (I have a feeling Caan's going to be the standout), but this remake's so respectful of the original's winning formula that I can't see it failing creatively. The fact this series was developed by
Alex Kurtzman and
Roberto Orci (who wrote the recent Star Trek movie) suggests they have a particular gift for remaking/rebooting old classics; in that they know what worked before, and how to juice the concept for modern eyes without losing its core values. I can't say this pilot was good enough to draw me back every single week, but it's a traditional show done well.
Asides This is Grace Park's second TV show where she's playing a female character, in a remake of an old show where her character was originally male, following her time as Boomer in Battlestar Galactica. You may recognize Jean Smart from her role as First Lady Martha Logan, in the Emmy-winning fifth season of 24. James Marsters is also a familiar face, from sci-fi/fantasy shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Torchwood and Caprica. Anyone else get a flashback to Human Target's season 1 finale with the gunfight and shipping container fist-fight between McGarrett and Victor? Did you notice that this remake's title ends with the figure "0", whereas the original ended with the letter "O"?
WRITERS: Peter M. Lenkov (based on a story by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci & Peter M. Lenkov) DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman CAST: Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Jean Smart, Will Yun Lee, Norman Reedus, James Marsters & William Sadler TRANSMISSION: 20 September 2010 - CBS