Legends of Tomorrow Review

Legends of Tomorrow Review

Ever wanted Rory Williams in a knock-off TARDIS traveling through space and time with the voice matrix from the Iron Man movies? DC seems to think you do. Just change “Time Lord” to “Time Master” and alter the colors of the Doctor Who intro and you’ve got a whole new (and much worse) show. I would like to start by promising that Arthur Darvill, who plays Rip Hunter, is a good actor. I know, it was hard to tell in this show but that’s the scripts fault, not his. I can’t be as charitable for the others. I had such high hopes for Legends of Tomorrow. I mean it’s basically DC’s version of The Avengers. Unfortunately, I was let down.

       The show opens to Earth in 2166. Vandal Savage, the villain from the Flash/Arrow crossover episode, has taken over the world. In a last ditch attempt to save humanity, Time Master Rip Hunter will travel back one hundred and fifty years to assemble a team of heroes. After a rushed “Avengers assemble” montage and a few forced cameos, the team agrees to come together to save the world. There aren’t many good things to say about the script or the actors. The lines were so predictable that I found myself saying them along with the cast and the over-exaggerated melodrama left me cringing.

       When the team arrives in the 1970’s, they split up – the heroes go to talk to an expert on Vandal Savage; the villain goes to a bar. This was the first time Legends of Tomorrow was bearable. While the heroes were off gathering information views got their first taste of a team fight scene. At the bar, Sara (Caity Lotz), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) get into a fight with a motorcycle gang. If you are able to look past Sara’s horrible outfit and the lack of fancy freeze rays, the scene is actually pretty cool. I have to give props to Caity Lotz’s stunt double because doing high kicks in those ridiculous heels couldn’t have been easy. The villains leave the bar triumphant only to find that the rest of their team is under attack.

       Admittedly, what the show lacks in content it makes up for in special effects. Everything from the laser pistol to the flying fire ball looked amazing. The team manages to make it back to their ship where Rip finally tells them the truth. They aren’t really heroes in his time they are still nobodies. Taking this rather hard, the team considers abandoning their mission and returning to 2016. Fortunately, in a speech that uses every “let’s change our future” cliche, Sara talks the others into staying. All that’s left is for Jefferson to give an “all in this together” inspirational speech straight of the East High Wildcats locker room and they’re on their way. The show ends with the team shooting off into the time steam.

       While I can’t say that I liked the show, there were elements that showed promise. The special effects were much better than I would expect from a TV show. Although the heroes are rather goody-two-shoes, the chemistry between the villains was entertaining. The acting was nothing to get excited about, but you can’t expect much more from a CW show. Overall, I would give the show a 6/10. It’s a forgettable way to fill an hour, but nothing I would recommend starting.