Cool News
Do The Critics Feel Safe Recommending SciFi’s SANCTUARY??
I am – Hercules!!
A sci-fi procedural from writer-producer Damian Kindler (“PSI Factor,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Stargate: Atlantis”), “Sanctuary” follows an immortal doctor (“Stargate” vet Amanda Tapping) who makes it her business to contain and protect a menagerie of otherworldly creatures. It employs an unusual amount of green-screen and apparently started life as a Web series on sanctuaryforall.com last year.
The New York Times says:
… sits at about the same level of writing and performance as the “Stargate” shows, which means it doesn’t have the narrative force of “Battlestar Galactica” or the wit and creativity of Sci Fi’s best original series, “Eureka.” It’s not an embarrassment for the channel, but it doesn’t raise the stakes either. … You might think, “Well, the animation can’t be cheap,” but you haven’t seen the show …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… a draggy piece of somber silliness …
The Chicago Tribune says:
… pace is a little on the stately side, and the show is competent if not particularly innovative sci fi. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… another disappointing entry. It's a lot like BBC America's "Torchwood," just without the wit and a charismatic lead actor. The show isn't helped by a two-hour premiere that states and re-states its premise too many times. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… The problem with "Sanctuary" comes when it settles in to a predictable pace and denouement during the second half. It takes on an early thrilling ride, only to inexplicably start coasting when we need it to shift to the next gear. But the show's pedigree and premise, along with the technological breakthrough it brings to the table, make it worthy of a second look. …
Variety says:
… If yet another "Men in Black"-style, "Things that go bump in the night are real" drama sounds right up your dark alley, then "Sanctuary" is perhaps for you. Otherwise, there's little to recommend this dense drama, which recycles a number of familiar sci-fi tropes … suffers by comparison with any number of similarly themed dramas, most recently BBC America's fun-loving "Torchwood." …
9 p.m. Friday. SciFi.
From The Guy Who Wrote
The Making of Star Wars
And The Guy Who Wrote
Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays!!
$13.49 Dawn of the Dead!!
$13.95 Road Warrior!!
$13.95 A Clockwork Orange!
$13.95 The Fugitive!
$14.95 The Shining!!
SuperCheap Blu-Ray!!
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
But Sci-Fi had a bunch of scripts left-over from The Dresden Files, so, hey, what the hell, why not?
-
shit without having seen it? spoken like a true talkbacker.
-
Do you really need any more evidence than that? BSG and Farscape were freak accidents that Sci-fi has wasted no time in correcting.
-
...you know it's a load of shit.<p>When a show is compared to Torchwood but the later series is regarded as better, you know it's worse than shit.
-
SciFi puts out something decent. the rest of the time, it's utter shit and a waste of our evening. We've still got BSG for the good stuff. Not time for anything else good to be on yet.
-
Jeeeesus, this looked like a pretty shameless Torchwood knock-off, from the trailers...but finding out the "Sanctuary" leader is also immortal. Isn't that enough for BBC to sue over? <p> <b>I love Torchwood.<b>
-
you know it. I want to kill myself after every ep I watch of that now. So depressing.
-
b/c it got the show super cheap.
-
as opposed to the regular amount for a SF show? i'm not being facetious, just curious.
-
Oct. 3, 2008, 9:16 a.m. CST
If anybody is familiar with the phrase Res Ipsa Loquitur
by Shut the Fuck up Donny
then just saying it's on Sci-Fi is enough.
-
There are very few sets for this show, it's mostly done CG with green screen. Think 'Sky Captain' only even lower budget.
-
...going to be all the Webisodes lumped together? You all know that this show HAS been online for a while now right? It's a fun show with a little camp. What more do you expect? Just be glad it's not "Mansquito: The Series."
-
Last show that I saw that did that was Threshold
-
Some of you old-timers will get that...speaking of Logan's Run, are they still planning a remake? Keep Singer away from it, though.
-
i'm in canada so this is airing on TMN and when i saw the commercials, i thought it was a canadian show, it has that cheap look all canadian shows, especially sci-fi ones have. but since that stargate girl is in it, lemme guess...its made and produced here thus the cheapness right?
-
u know what after 10 years you look back and u will say MY GOD I CANT BELIEVE I USED TO LIKE THAT RETARDED NIHILISTIC SHOW!!! BSG IS AN ABOMINATION! IF ONLY I KNEW BETTER! admit it folks sanctuary is pretty unique and offers something new so why the hate? and stargate rules you just dont know it yet. how dare that new york idiot say stargate is not funny. are u kidding its hilarious in a subtle way that one only gets if he actually watched the show and understood the characters. couldnt say the same for all the other crap including BSG which is only famous coz of two things...you know them and it shows you in an introspective way how superficial u are.
-
Hey Herc! Get your facts straight. The webisodes this series is based on were NOT on scifi.com. They were an independent production available on sanctuaryforall.com last summer. Might want to do a little fact-checking before you post a story.
-
Never could get through a Stargate episode without being bored to tears, and I certainly never thought much of Amanda Tapping. But seeing her in a preview for this show, with long, dark hair, a choker and a British accent, makes me a bit more interested in the show. See, cause she's hot now.
-
the first four episodes were on youtube. if u liked them u had to pay like 2$ to get the whole season. i thought it was a good idea. no wonder why SGA got canceled and replaced everyone is just looking for another BSG, if it aint it its not good sci fi then. sci fi channel is now faced with a dilemma, all its shows have to be clones of BSG. actually in reality BSG is bad sci fi which is why its so mainstream... here check this out this tells you why its bad sci fi: http://tinyurl.com/53nbvg
-
she was always hot especially in that military SG-1 uniform with the big army hat lol that was so cute.
-
Most of the Stargates are filmed in Canada.<p> Don't care tho.<br> Over all I really enjoy the Stargates.<br> They're a good space opera. They mostly stick to their own rules (just a couple times the rules were ignored). Good characters, well written and portrayed. A nice subtle sense of humor. Good villains also written and portrayed well.<p> If Sanctuary does as good a job, I'll be tuning in
-
It's a lot like BBC America's "Torchwood," just without the wit and a charismatic lead actor?? someeone actually wrote that?
-
Special Unit 2 stupid, I'll watch
-
im surprised they havent shown up on bsg yet.
-
Oct. 3, 2008, 6:38 p.m. CST
Everyone's forgetting the main reason to watch Sanctuary!
by Amy Chasing
Amanda Tapping as a brunette.
-
that was a Goa'uld with the kid
-
But not to bad<p> I'll give it a few weeks to see if it gets better
-
Wow, the daughter and Doctor Jackson or whatever his name is supposed to be are pretty bad actors. Recast them and it might be a decent show.
-
the Stargate guest actors pool.<br> The detective, the bad guy, the nerd / tech guy.<br> Maybe a couple I missed.
-
in that special effects looked very low tech, stories and characters are too cliched and stolen from better shows, and the writing needs A LOT of work. There is ample time for improvement; however, and I would like for it to succeed. God knows Sci Fi needs more science fiction and less wrestling. For the Sci Fi channel, I have to admit it wasn't really that bad, but it definitely needs major revamping if it is ever to be on par with Farscape, Stargate, or BSG. Maybe they need to throw in some muppets?
-
could someone please let me know if Sanctuary on SciFi is the same as Sanctuary made for the web? If so that may explain why it may not be so good - I don't think it ever had the budget of a TV show because it was never made for TV.
-
Oct. 4, 2008, 12:31 a.m. CST
It has potential, they had to set up the freakin premise people.
by Ka Dargo
And Tapping is way hotter as a brunette. Nice cleavage shot in that blue top!!! Didn't know she had such a nice rack!!! They could make some cool shit with the CG if they do it right. And the daughter is pretty hot too for a blonde.
-
But without the creepy, unnecessary sex and the completely inept team members.<p>Like Torchwood, it's not great, but has promise... but certainly won't rise to BSG-level quality. With luck, it COULD end up being as good as Britain's "Primeval," but only time will tell.<p>Overall, the premiere was a B-.
-
Santuary is now available for free in pretty high quality on Vuze (the new name of the bit torrent client Azareus). Download the client and just search in the directory for Sanctuary. The SD version is free. Don't waste your time watching this on YouTube (where only half of the episodes are)
-
I just saw the two first episodes. It's not the same thing as the web episodes. it's similar, but they basically re-wrote, re-shuffled and re-shot everything. They now have a lot of actual sets and better CG.
-
I hear that it's COMPLETELY done green-screen - as in COMPLETELY - which is kinda interesting, but on the other hand the premise sounds completely boring and the writing hardly sounds inspired... <p> ...which is no surprise considering the Stargate pedigree here, really...
-
It is something like 90% green screen but not 100%
-
Makes me feel better about never paying attention to their TV critics before.<p> That was the only thing in this article that caught my attention. Sanctuary, not so much.
-
wtf rubber suit monster thing with the digital smoke trying to cover its shittiness! this show is awful. AND JACK THE RIPPER??? JACK THE FUCKIN RIPPER??? AWFUL I TELLS YA! makes me want a nite breed sequel even more now.
-
I concur, choice would watch Eureka, DVR BSG. Santuary sucked, though the wife dead jump at the boy under the bed scene.
-
Nice special effects. Good production values, competent acting and direction. Premise is stupid, kind of like that Hellboy movie. Writing is extremely awful. Pain-inducingly awful. Wow. What a horrible script. I doubt the show can be saved, given its ridiculous premise. Perhaps if it were played totally tongue-in-cheek, instead of so drearily serious, it might be watchable.
-
Just because you need to be constantly reminded why you want to exist doesn't mean Battlestar Galactica was a bad show.
-
"I concur, choice would watch Eureka, DVR BSG. Santuary sucked, though the wife dead jump at the boy under the bed scene." <br>Not following...
-
Also, Torchwood was terrible. I kept hearing all these great things about Torchwood so I started downloading them from iTunes. I couldn't even finish watching the ones I paid for. Yelch.
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 418 total posts 386 posts
- Holy Crossover!! Magneto’s Boy Quicksilver To Speed About In Whedon’s AVENGERS 2 And Singer’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?? -- 326 total posts 114 posts
- Tom Cruise Won’t Go Solo For MAN FROM UNCLE!! -- 113 total posts 113 posts
- A review of Refn and Gosling's ONLY GOD FORGIVES, direct from Cannes!! -- 111 total posts 92 posts
- The Friday Docback Revisits DOCTOR WHO Season 7!! A Fuller Review Of 'The Name of the Doctor,' And More!! -- 75 total posts 75 posts
- Capone believes that FAST & FURIOUS 6 is the best in a bizarre, crowded franchise!!! -- 66 total posts 66 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 1470 total posts 63 posts
- Beware Epileptics - we have a new motion poster for the upcoming remake of CARRIE! -- 60 total posts 60 posts
- Capone makes the case that THE HANGOVER PART III is neither a comedy nor a movie!!! -- 59 total posts 59 posts
- Green-Band and Red-Band trailers for the new Jason Sudeikis & Jennifer Aniston VACATION ripoff, WE'RE THE MILLERS are here!! -- 150 total posts 58 posts