Future Man - Season 1 Review
I've always been a fan of science fiction. Whether it's shows like Star Trek, or movies like Star Wars I manage to cover alot of ground in that field. In my opinion, outside of superhero and fantasy it is the most traveled area of media in today's Hollywood industry. Future Man understands this and attempts to create a different formula in the science fiction genre, and while it doesn't manage to recreate the wheel it does do some great things for the genre.
Josh Hutcherson as the aforementioned Josh Futturman ("Future Man"), is a great part of this cast. The generic role of unlikely hero thrust into adventure is something that seems to work with him in multiple roles. So while this is a familiar position for him, the differences help to stretch his range as an actor. Throughout the season Josh and his two companions from the future, Tiger and Wolf (Eliza Coupe and Derek Wilson) travel through time attempting to stop an incredible evil known as the Biotic Wars from occurring in the future. Josh's ability to assimilate into other cultures is his major value to this team of soldiers as he doesn't have the combat ability they possess.
Future Man takes a different spin on the usual visitor from the future situation. Wolf and Tiger are the confused and lost souls in a different time as the world is completely different from the one they know in the future. This helps to create some good comedic sequences as they try to adapt to society before the Biotic Wars began. Along the way they interact with some past family members, the evil overlord, and fighting their inner demons. Wolf in particular for me is a stand out in the series. Whether it's the constant yelling of his combat moves fitting of an action game character ("GUT PUNCH" "SPACE WAND STAB"), or his actual feelings of loneliness and disrespect by the team he thought cared about him, he has almost a greater character arc than anyone in the show. The short stick in this area is Tiger, as her arc relies solely on Josh and Wolf, resulting in lackluster story telling by them.
Finally, Future Man creates a fantastic world around it's characters. They jump between eras and everywhere they go looks fantastic. Fight scenes look crisp and well designed, and with the aforementioned screams of battle moves they give off the vibes of a video game very well. There are plenty of moments throughout the series that match up with sequences shown in the pilot during the game itself. Continuity in this aspect while a minor thing, is great and helps to create some great scenes as things begin to click together with Josh finding his way to becoming the "Savior" of the Biotic Wars.
For me personally though the series sputtered a bit in the first few episodes. Whether it was a slow build or a continuous pounding of the same old jokes Sci-Fi always presents, it just felt like the series could have been cut down a few episodes. Starting at Episode 5 I felt the series came into it's own and really helped to build the emotional impact of the series. From that point on it never slows down and while the finale doesn't necessarily fulfill what the middle episodes seemed to be building towards, it did not disappoint.
Future Man as a whole was a great addition to the science fiction genre. The way all of these characters were handled shows care (with the exception of Tiger) and I'm impressed with the handling of time travel as many shows manage to create their own problems with their rules to time travel. While the questions around it become more apparent later on, Future Man is not shaken by this and manages to give a satisfying answer to these questions about their own rules. Regardless of any issues I may have, I believe this is a show that should be seen by any science fiction fan. And don't forget to wear your warrior mane proudly. That'll make more sense when you see it...
