"Dark Angel" Pilot (2000)

Director:

David Nutter

Writers:

James Cameron (creator) and
Charles H. Eglee (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Dark Angel" (2000)

Original Air Date:

3 October 2000 (Season 1, Episode 0)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Engineered To Raise Hell.

Plot:

12 genetically enhanced childern escape from a military base that created them. 10 years later, after The Pulse...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Bicycle | Barcode Tattoo | 2010s | Television

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win

Cast

Jessica Alba	...	Max Guevera / X5-452
Michael Weatherly	...	Logan Cale
Alimi Ballard	...	Herbal Thought
Jennifer Blanc	...	Kendra Maibaum
Richard Gunn	...	Calvin 'Sketchy' Theodore
J.C. MacKenzie	...	Reagan 'Normal' Ronald (as J.C. Mackenzie)
Valarie Rae Miller	...	Cynthia 'Original Cindy' McEachin
John Savage	...	Donald Lydecker
Stanley Kamel	...	Edgar Sonrisa
Kristin Bauer	...	Lydia Meyerson
Paul Popowich	...	Darren McKennon
Kimberly Hawthorne	...	Jacinda Katsuno (as Kim Hawthorne)
Douglas O'Keeffe	...	Bruno Anselmo
Sarah-Jane Redmond	...	Lauren Braganza
Lauren Lee Smith	...	Natalie (as Lauren Smith)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Pilot for the TV series.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the discussion when Logan Cale tracks down Max and first meets her in the bar, Original Cindy looks at her watch and you hear her say "Xena's on!" without her lips moving. The voice doesn't even appear to be hers though she's the only one within hearing distance.

Quotes:

Logan Cale: I need a favor.
Max Guevara: You can keep this. I really don't have anyplace to put it.
Logan Cale: I need you to do a little leg work for me. Joel Solinski. This guy's got a wife with three kids, an ex-wife with two kids, a mistress, and two girlfriends. The wives get houses, the mistress a condo, and everybody gets a car... all on a harbormaster's salary.
Max Guevara: I caught the tail end of your hack. The guy's on the take. He's paid to look the other way while the smugglers deep-six their cargo.
Logan Cale: He's made a fortune... as an accessory to murder.
Max Guevara: Okay, so the guy's a beast. Doesn't mean I got to get involved.
Logan Cale: You are involved. By being alive, you're involved.
Max Guevara: I got my own problems.
Logan Cale: Look... maybe we got screwed out of living in a time when we could hang out for the afternoon in a cafe someplace wearing $2,000 wristwatches, planning our next vacation, but the world got a whole lot meaner all of a sudden. It wasn't supposed to... but it did. So now it's back to the law of the jungle and there are predators and victims.
Max Guevara: And you still think you can do something to change that?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "Rocky and His Friends" (1959)

Ended just when the series not only became good, but had more to say than your average TV series

It took us a couple of episodes to "get into" Dark Angel as a story and a series, since we were transitioning from The Sopranos, a very different mentality framework. But, once we got with the gist of the series, we were very quickly hooked. It's a shame that the series ended just when it was just starting to past good into the excellent category: Dark Angelwas much more than your average TV series. It kicks ass and rocks as far as action goes, but the interactions of the characters and societal reactions to "mutants" reminds us of the constant prejudices that we face (and make) everyday. That the story is set in the future keeps the mood surreal and prevents the anti-discrimination message from being rubbed in our faces (hence not ruining the "fun" for those who don't like to be lectured during entertainment), but every event and human/societal interaction remains relevant to the present. We all make judgments, face our own prejudices, but, in the end, the question of who you are lies in: do you sit back and shut your mind to it, or do you get up and do something about it? For those who have no choice but to fight, for survival or justice, this series empowers them. For those who've never had to face the question, this series "sneaks in" that message under the guise of pure action entertainment. It is much more well-made and well-written than most TV series; I'm highly disappointed it ended before it could really kick into high gear.