Off-Topic: Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

I missed the premiere of one of the biggest new television shows of the season, an event much-anticipated by the nerd community, of which I am proudly a part. But luckily, my trusty ITunes account came to the rescue. Though I missed the actual premiere on Tuesday, on Friday I got to see it in all of its glory. An event like this, where a comic book is FAITHFULLY translated to the small screen, cannot go uncommented on. And so, here are my thoughts:

These people really knew how to get the ball rolling. The first few minutes were just a powerhouse of images and words that completely blew me away. I was clapping by the end of that opening scene. The ending, too, was absolutely excellent. I was left just STARVING for more. In fact, I'd say these were the highlights of the show.

I liked some of the thematic elements. I liked the way the show tries to really struggle with the aftermath of the AVENGERS film. What would the world be like when it awoke to a universe of godlike beings? What would happen if we knew, for certain, that the Greek gods were real, for instance? The attempt to show that there is no way a world could neatly be split between 'good guys' and 'bad guys' is equally interesting. The mystery surrounding Coulson and his 'death' is also handled very well.

One problem with the middle 1/2 of the film is that it seemed to me that it was too rushed. Some of the most interesting moments visually are pushed straight on through to make way for character development. We don't get the savor some of the better moments. Yet the character development, because of the rush, is not all that effective. I think the show shouldn't have tried to introduce all the characters in the first episode. Just having a couple of active agents at first would've worked. Then you could've really gotten us to care about those particular people, and introduced others slowly through the next few episodes.

In other words, the first episode tried to do too much, and this made it too busy and so hard to really fully get 'into', except for moments. Still, those moments were AMAZING, and I for one and overall saying this was a positive television experience. I hope they are able to slow down a bit the next few episodes and focus a little more. If they can do that, this show takes off. If the frenetic nature of the first episode continues, it has no legs.

All in all, I give it four out of five stars. And that is a very big deal indeed, for a pilot.