Review by Kate, Admin MV
Sanctuary has been one of my most anticipated new shows of the fall season- and unlike Fringe which failed to connect with me- Sanctuary got me from the first ten minutes. What I liked- Robin Dunne as Will Zimmerman the brilliant but misunderstood forensic behavioral psychologist- his seeing monsters and the tragedy of losing his mother as a child and now being the odd man out investigator whose colleagues don’t like him and ridicule him behind his back had so many echoes of my favorite outsider Fox Mulder. Both men are brilliant educated psychologists and have inner demons that drive them.
The difference with Sanctuary is that Will resolves his big issue- the mystery of his mother’s death in the first episode. He is the new member to join Dr. Helen Magnus and her team who protects the special and unusual creatures she provides a home for in her Sanctuary on the shores of Brooklyn. Helen and her daughter Ashley ( Emilie Ullerup) and caretaker Henry (Ryan Robbins) oversee a plethora of the world’s forgotten, mythic, dangerous, misunderstood and unlikely creatures including a Neanderthal type who is Helen’s devoted manservant. This missing link scares the heck out of Will initially but they reach a companionable working relationship by the end of the two hour premiere.
A lot of storytelling is packed into two hours and provides a basis for the series as things go forward. I won’t give it all away- you need to watch the two hour pilot and see for yourself. The entire show is shot digitally on green screens and what they achieve is amazing. The only area I felt was a little glitchy were some of the creatures. I didn’t like the mermaid- she looked a little too two dimensional but the scenes in the subway and the effects of building the cityscape were amazing. Sanctuary is like watching a top notch video game- the enviornment feels real and unreal at the same time. I cannot wait to see what adventures are on tap next for Amanda Tapping’s new series.
Episodes will be airing as part of SCI-Fridays on the SCIFI Channel. Check your listings for times.
Two BTS Videos with the Cast
Amanda Answers Fan Questions about the Series
Interview with the cast of Sanctuary on the Today Show from Friday
October 5th, 2008 - 5:47 pm
Alright a good review :).
October 7th, 2008 - 4:54 pm
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