michelleweinacht
I loved this show and would highly recommend it. It may take a couple of episodes for someone to really get into it but it's definitely worth it. It has a lot of conspiracy theories, paranormal indications, religious undertones, and Nazi/world war II connotations. It's smart and creative; like nothing else out there. Very mysterious and lots of twists! I wish there was more.
mike-ryan455
I was outside the USA and have seen the show all the way through from foreign broadcasts. This gives me a lot better perspective on it. So I have to speak in defense of the show against some attacks I see as based on lack of knowledge.First, they do fully resolve the plot. This isn't a show that is canceled in mid-stream like Threshold where there is never a satisfactory answer as to what is happening and why. The show apparently was intended to only go thirteen weeks so the resolution was much clearer and more complete than say Lost's was.Second, not every cliché was used the way that we expect. Against the Evil Nazi Mad Scientist, they had the Good and Human Nazis.So was it great art? No. Was it over the top and crazy? Yes. Would I say the ending was politically correct? I'd say yes, but it was feel good. Did it foreshadow many of the events ALL the way through? Yes. Some were painfully telegraphed, and a couple of them you KNEW they would do without motivation by the characters.As a religious person, I also liked that there was an almost semi-favorable representation of a name brand religion by a TV show in this day where constant attacks on religion seem to be fashionable in Hollyweird. So I'll give it a seven. One extra point above average for mentioning God as a good idea and one for actually finishing out the story.
Robin Krauss
A good story premise, but uninspired casting, juvenile script, amateur direction. The dialog uses every cliché in the book. Casting a geeky main character with two student sidekicks? They obviously spent money on this show, but they didn't spend it on the cast or writing. It deserved to die. The main character makes me cringe. Always makes wrong decisions. Comes off as a naive dunderhead that makes you want to slap him around. The characters in this show make you want to root for the bad guys. There are shows on TV that have excellent writers - like The Good Wife. They're smart and have depth, and are able to bring out the actors talents. I think Zero Hour has a major identity problem. I'd be curious to know who they feel their target viewers are. Judging by the writing and direction I'm guessing it's 12 year olds - or adults with a recent lobotomy.
AE Hopwood
"Zero Hour" is a fast paced, twist-a-minute, intriguing, historical thrill ride that doesn't quite measure up. With its codes, symbols, maps, hidden objects and messages, and "ultimate secret", it's no wonder "Zero Hour" draws inevitable comparison to "The Da Vinci Code". This hour-long action drama centers on unraveling a mysterious secret hidden by twelve "new apostles" appointed by the church in 1938 to transport and safeguard some apocalypse-inducing secret from away from clawing Nazi hands. The mystery kicks off when the antique clock shop proprietress wife of Hank, played by "ER" (and "Top Gun"!) vet Anthony Edwards, is kidnapped after purchasing an unusual clock at a flea market. Hank runs a magazine called Modern Skeptic, focusing on conspiracy theories and historical mysteries (how convenient), and after being disillusioned with the abilities of the authorities, he enlists two of his young staff members, "Greek"'s Scott Michael Foster and his fellow "Californication" alum Addison Timlin, to follow the clues and track down his wife himself. This leads him to discover the rather convoluted conspiracy already outlined, and the necessity to investigate and travel the world to unfold the clues and match pace with the kidnapper, who is doing the same thing.So many things happen in the first episode alone, it's tricky to keep track of it all. The conspiracy is interesting, especially its echoes of the supernatural, with genetic experimentation and a Nazi doppelganger of Hank, that make it a global "National Treasure" with the spirit of "Lost". While there are some very convenient discoveries and knowledge, there is at least an attempt to make the method of deduction somewhat plausible. The characters are under-developed but likable. Hank is so far a rather generic smart, good guy who just wants to get his wife back. His employees Arron and Rachel are also pretty stock characters (though it would be hard to fill in too many characteristic details for them and still have time for the plethora of details involving the plot set-up), their distinguishing characteristics being youth, loyalty, tenacity, and the extreme likelihood that they'll end up together at some point (if the show isn't canceled before they get around to it). More interesting are baddie Victor, who, though also thus far a non-specifically broad antagonist, is brought to life with grit and a somewhat psychopathic nonchalance by the Swedish "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" actor Mikael Nyqvist, and unconventional FBI agent Beck, played with a mostly successful American accent by Brit Carmen Ejogo. The dialog is nothing to write home about, and I'm not sure they can (or should!) maintain the breakneck pace of the first two episodes, but despite its shortcomings, the fun and infinitely expandable premise, the obviously decent production budget, my hope for future improvement, and a soft spot for Nyqvist, Foster and Edwards will definitely keep me coming back every Thursday at Zero Hour (8 o'clock
), for the time being.