Run to see this. | Moonlight - putting the romance back into vampirism
Reviewer: Sara Bellam from Alameda, CA on 09/30/07
A plot synopsis of this new CBS series reads a lot like (OK, exactly like) the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff series Angel - upstanding vampire forswears hunting humans and instead rescues them in guise of PI. However, Moonlight distinguishes itself on a number of counts.
First of all, the leads are fabulous. I had never heard of Alex O'Loughlin, but he is perfectly cast as vampire PI Mick St. John, a sensitive guy with one whale of a secret. Though he is a man of few words, he expresses a range of compelling emotions with musical virtuosity. Co-star Sophia Myles is every bit as good, as she should be, with her background. Some viewers might remember her from the PBS version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, where she played the tragically effusive younger sister to Emma Thompson's repressed English maiden. The delicacy and chemistry of the scenes between these two, as well as their individual credibility, has me hooked already.
I also enjoyed the photography. Creative night shots and lighting set a distinct mood for the show (although I could have done without a brief upside down shot).
Plot, at least in the pilot espisode, is not one of this show's strengths. The chronology of Mick's backstory seems contradictory and overly complex. Much like another favorite of mine, Medium, lose ends are not tied up in a credible way, if at all. Medium has managed to survive this flaw for years without ever correcting it. However, I suspect Moonlight will need to tighten up the storylines to match that longevity.
Don't write this show off as an Angel knock-off without checking it out. It's deeper, sweeter, and more artful than that show ever was. |
