The power of the media and communication can be a funny thing as we rely on it to supply us with information and answers to what is going on all around us. But also, what makes it interesting is how much not just the information itself but the presentation of it and how much it can affect our lives and the lives around us.
This show is another of my favorite sci-fi TV shows, it's also a show that is under the radar. Well not totally as this show did have popularity and was a moderate hit but as time went on it's became forgotten. Which is weird to say considering the character "Max Headroom" whom you can say has became even more popular than the TV show itself. The show is also a childhood gem as I remember the figure Max mainly from the Coke a Cola commercials; he was even parodied in an episode of "Family Matters".
This show no doubt was ahead of it's time, there really isn't a show like it nor ever since. I really like the fact that this is one based on news, which is cool as that's my field of expertise, let alone there really aren't many TV shows based on news reporting and TV stations. Let alone the fact this all takes place in the future which makes it even cooler. The show also predates the DC Vertigo comic series "Transmetropolitan" which is slightly like this show.
Though there are some things that might date the show like the fact that some people still use floppy and hard disks, VHS's are still around, let alone the fact there is no internet and streaming/download digital network in this future. But you have to understand this show was made in the 80's so like with some sci-fi films and TV shows of yesteryear there are always going to be a few inaccuracies, let alone certain things unforeseen, but it's what it gets right is what counts. However if you think about it more (or at least roll with), it sort of makes sense as the future is supposedly came from the aftermath of some war which could possibly mean certain resources and technology has been lost so we had to resort to some of the old tech.
I really like this world of tomorrow, really like the design of the city which is slightly like "Blade Runner". This world is both fascinating but at the same time a little dangerous. It is a world that is both technologically and media driven. Corporations and media organizations rule this future and are at constant competition against one another to make big fast profits and keep their rule. There are a lot of fancy toys and shiny futuristic things, however this city isn't perfect as there is poverty, violence, and most places still war torn.
The interesting thing about this future is that it's actually slightly close to ours, because most of what goes on in this world is actually happening right now, as it's is prolific on our information age we're living in right now.
As we've became overly saturated with info and has become more accessible than ever. We're starting to become technologically dominated as there is almost not one person that takes their eyes off the screen of their phone, computer, and tablet. Media becoming more accessible as we can create and distribute our own videos. CGI and all the animated moves we've now created with that tech. Certain corporations becoming big and dominant as they supply us with most of what we need, you name it it's there. Watching this show now at times feel like your looking at a mirror and realize we are close or are even living in Max Headroom's world now.
Characters are good; I like some of the supporting characters like Blank played well by William Morgan Shepard whom I remember as Doctor Zito in "MacGyver" (classic version). He's a fun character that is rough, wild and fiercely independent, he runs an independent MTV like network, what I like about he's a guy that doesn't care what people thing and he's not in the networking game for fame and glory, he's doing it because he enjoys the career field and loves to just do his thing.
He's also person also from a time long gone as he's a middle aged rocker fan and that's part of his other reason for doing what he does to keep that part of history and the memories of it alive; which I feel is true with all of us that get older and are trying to live in the present while retaining remnants of the past.
Bryce he's another interesting character, he's a whiz kid that is pretty much the tech and science officer of the station. He's a person that beats to a different drummer as he's constantly inventive and a doer there is just never a moment where he does nothing, each episode starts out with him on a project or having fun of some sort; that I can emphasize with as I'm that way myself. He's dryly funny as he's a person that is guilty of anti-social behavior, though that's not totally his fault as he's sort of a product of his own time.
Bryce is heavily invested in technology and science which is both a strength and weakness despite highly knowledgeable and his rapid-fire trouble shooting, he's empathy circuit don't fire properly as he's a little detached from both people and reality. However, with some time with Carter, Max, and the rest he gains some education in social science and does what's right for them and himself.
Matt Fewer an actor I really like that I think is underrated, he is just excellent as both Carter and Max Headroom. The Carter character is pretty much the straight man in this entire crazy future, I really like that he's a guy that is in pursuit to report and find the truth; he doesn't care about the corporate TV station he serves and their ambitions as their not their own. He's a guy that just wants to do his job and help people by telling them the truth and protect them from all the lies that come faster than he can switch on a camera.
Really like the design of his split ego Max, he looks like Matt but at the same time doesn't as he has a sort of talk show host look with that hair slicked back and the smoothness of his face. Max actually isn't a CGI character but was what you would call pre CGI as they did a simple make up job on the actor and just used green screen background graphics to give the illusion that Max is a digital character which I'll admit was amazing and prolific on the characters that are now pure CGI.
The Max Headroom character is a lot of fun, this is my favorite role from Matt. This character is energetic, aggressive, quirky a real attention getter as he is constantly traveling the networks which works to his advantage as it give him access to unlimited info and broadcasts himself whenever he wants, which is what makes him a valuable ally with Carter's network.
But other than that the character is just a lot of fun as he's got some of the best lines, even like that little glitching which adds to the comedy showing he's not all perfect but also shows a bit of his quirky side as that glitching is just music to my ears.
The dynamic between both Carter and Max is interesting, it's sort of your buddy buddy dynamic which is cool as buddy cop films like "Lethal Weapon" and "48 Hours" were a big thing at the time. But in this show they do something different with it as it feels like it could in a way be sort of like something from a Cronenberg movie as his films dealt with duel identities. But it's also just simply fun seeing both play off of one another, working together but also clashing a little at the same time.
But of course what really powers this show is in it's wicked satire as it deals with lots of issues, like unregulated progress, media manipulation, consumerism, capitalism, technological colonization, social detachment, addiction, blurring the line between reality and non and other issues we have going on now.
In the world of Media and the future, anything goes, and anything is possible.
Rating: 4 stars
This show is another of my favorite sci-fi TV shows, it's also a show that is under the radar. Well not totally as this show did have popularity and was a moderate hit but as time went on it's became forgotten. Which is weird to say considering the character "Max Headroom" whom you can say has became even more popular than the TV show itself. The show is also a childhood gem as I remember the figure Max mainly from the Coke a Cola commercials; he was even parodied in an episode of "Family Matters".
This show no doubt was ahead of it's time, there really isn't a show like it nor ever since. I really like the fact that this is one based on news, which is cool as that's my field of expertise, let alone there really aren't many TV shows based on news reporting and TV stations. Let alone the fact this all takes place in the future which makes it even cooler. The show also predates the DC Vertigo comic series "Transmetropolitan" which is slightly like this show.
Though there are some things that might date the show like the fact that some people still use floppy and hard disks, VHS's are still around, let alone the fact there is no internet and streaming/download digital network in this future. But you have to understand this show was made in the 80's so like with some sci-fi films and TV shows of yesteryear there are always going to be a few inaccuracies, let alone certain things unforeseen, but it's what it gets right is what counts. However if you think about it more (or at least roll with), it sort of makes sense as the future is supposedly came from the aftermath of some war which could possibly mean certain resources and technology has been lost so we had to resort to some of the old tech.
I really like this world of tomorrow, really like the design of the city which is slightly like "Blade Runner". This world is both fascinating but at the same time a little dangerous. It is a world that is both technologically and media driven. Corporations and media organizations rule this future and are at constant competition against one another to make big fast profits and keep their rule. There are a lot of fancy toys and shiny futuristic things, however this city isn't perfect as there is poverty, violence, and most places still war torn.
The interesting thing about this future is that it's actually slightly close to ours, because most of what goes on in this world is actually happening right now, as it's is prolific on our information age we're living in right now.
As we've became overly saturated with info and has become more accessible than ever. We're starting to become technologically dominated as there is almost not one person that takes their eyes off the screen of their phone, computer, and tablet. Media becoming more accessible as we can create and distribute our own videos. CGI and all the animated moves we've now created with that tech. Certain corporations becoming big and dominant as they supply us with most of what we need, you name it it's there. Watching this show now at times feel like your looking at a mirror and realize we are close or are even living in Max Headroom's world now.
Characters are good; I like some of the supporting characters like Blank played well by William Morgan Shepard whom I remember as Doctor Zito in "MacGyver" (classic version). He's a fun character that is rough, wild and fiercely independent, he runs an independent MTV like network, what I like about he's a guy that doesn't care what people thing and he's not in the networking game for fame and glory, he's doing it because he enjoys the career field and loves to just do his thing.
He's also person also from a time long gone as he's a middle aged rocker fan and that's part of his other reason for doing what he does to keep that part of history and the memories of it alive; which I feel is true with all of us that get older and are trying to live in the present while retaining remnants of the past.
Bryce he's another interesting character, he's a whiz kid that is pretty much the tech and science officer of the station. He's a person that beats to a different drummer as he's constantly inventive and a doer there is just never a moment where he does nothing, each episode starts out with him on a project or having fun of some sort; that I can emphasize with as I'm that way myself. He's dryly funny as he's a person that is guilty of anti-social behavior, though that's not totally his fault as he's sort of a product of his own time.
Bryce is heavily invested in technology and science which is both a strength and weakness despite highly knowledgeable and his rapid-fire trouble shooting, he's empathy circuit don't fire properly as he's a little detached from both people and reality. However, with some time with Carter, Max, and the rest he gains some education in social science and does what's right for them and himself.
Matt Fewer an actor I really like that I think is underrated, he is just excellent as both Carter and Max Headroom. The Carter character is pretty much the straight man in this entire crazy future, I really like that he's a guy that is in pursuit to report and find the truth; he doesn't care about the corporate TV station he serves and their ambitions as their not their own. He's a guy that just wants to do his job and help people by telling them the truth and protect them from all the lies that come faster than he can switch on a camera.
Really like the design of his split ego Max, he looks like Matt but at the same time doesn't as he has a sort of talk show host look with that hair slicked back and the smoothness of his face. Max actually isn't a CGI character but was what you would call pre CGI as they did a simple make up job on the actor and just used green screen background graphics to give the illusion that Max is a digital character which I'll admit was amazing and prolific on the characters that are now pure CGI.
The Max Headroom character is a lot of fun, this is my favorite role from Matt. This character is energetic, aggressive, quirky a real attention getter as he is constantly traveling the networks which works to his advantage as it give him access to unlimited info and broadcasts himself whenever he wants, which is what makes him a valuable ally with Carter's network.
But other than that the character is just a lot of fun as he's got some of the best lines, even like that little glitching which adds to the comedy showing he's not all perfect but also shows a bit of his quirky side as that glitching is just music to my ears.
The dynamic between both Carter and Max is interesting, it's sort of your buddy buddy dynamic which is cool as buddy cop films like "Lethal Weapon" and "48 Hours" were a big thing at the time. But in this show they do something different with it as it feels like it could in a way be sort of like something from a Cronenberg movie as his films dealt with duel identities. But it's also just simply fun seeing both play off of one another, working together but also clashing a little at the same time.
But of course what really powers this show is in it's wicked satire as it deals with lots of issues, like unregulated progress, media manipulation, consumerism, capitalism, technological colonization, social detachment, addiction, blurring the line between reality and non and other issues we have going on now.
In the world of Media and the future, anything goes, and anything is possible.
Rating: 4 stars