# Terra Nova (sucks)



## JoanDrake (Jul 8, 2013)

I have just finished watching the entirety of _*Terra Nova*_, on SyFy and have come to one inescapable conclusion. The most expensive tv series of all times sucks worse than the new Dyson.

WHY can't big time producers spend just a little to get somebody like Josh Whedon instead of saving the few hundred thou for another dinosaur and turning the whole well shot add scrupulously realistic  thing into a cheesy piece of copralite by writing it all themselves? Didn't _*Avatar*_ convince these guys that being an FX genius does not somehow make you a genius writer?


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## Gordian Knot (Jul 8, 2013)

Considering it is the highest grossing film of all time, I think Avatar does indeed convince these guys that being an FX genius does make one a genius writer!

Not that I disagree with your comments; actually I do. You just picked the wrong movie as comparison to make your point.


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## Nightspore (Jul 9, 2013)

I watched it on Freeview. I think it was cancelled after only one season. I don't see the comparison with Avatar either. Maybe it could be compared to the Jurassic Park franchise. The thing is, once you've seen one CGI dinosaur, you've seen 'em all. Many people have told me that Avatar is the worst film they've ever seen. I have heard it described, rather derogatorily, as Pocahontas in space. It's not that bad a movie though IMO. I think that Terra Nova may have got better if the story arc had been allowed to develop more.


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## EricWard (Jul 9, 2013)

Is it at least hilarious in its ineptitude? It might be worth watching with some friends, drinks, and shouted insults if that's the case...


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## Nightspore (Jul 9, 2013)

EricWard said:


> Is it at least hilarious in its ineptitude? It might be worth watching with some friends, drinks, and shouted insults if that's the case...



More mediocre in its ineptitude I would say.


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## JoanDrake (Jul 10, 2013)

Avatar isn't *Pocahontas*, it's *Fern Gully*. Honestly, watch FG one time, you'll wonder why Avatar wasn't sued for plagiarism.

Avatar made a lot of money because it cost nearly as much to make. Just about every critic around said the story was awful while the FX were great, and I had to agree

The Jurassic Park Franchise I think proves my point. You can't rely on FX after your first movie, and, in fact, you really shouldn't rely on them entirely even then. Terra Nova had multiple segments and after you've seen one yard wide dragonfly (which was an anachronism btw, such creatures came from the Carbonifeous, 400 million years before), you've sort of seen them all.


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## Nightspore (Jul 10, 2013)

JoanDrake said:


> Avatar isn't *Pocahontas*, it's *Fern Gully*. Honestly, watch FG one time, you'll wonder why Avatar wasn't sued for plagiarism.



FernGully: The Last Rainforest? I haven't seen it but I believe you. 



JoanDrake said:


> Avatar made a lot of money because it cost nearly as much to make. Just about every critic around said the story was awful while the FX were great, and I had to agree



Yeah, it was the most expensive 'smurf' movie ever made! LOL



JoanDrake said:


> The Jurassic Park Franchise I think proves my point. You can't rely on FX after your first movie, and, in fact, you really shouldn't rely on them entirely even then. Terra Nova had multiple segments and after you've seen one yard wide dragonfly (which was an anachronism btw, such creatures came from the Carbonifeous, 400 million years before), you've sort of seen them all.



They were big dragonflies, that's for sure.


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## BenSt (Aug 28, 2013)

It wasn't THAT bad, I mean it was dreadful but it had some good parts.  I was quite disappointed that it was cancelled if truth be told, I was just getting into it.  The characters were two dimensional at best, but it was a nice little escape and for being one of the big network's it wasn't as bad as some of the other series of the time *coughs*Outcasts*splutters*.


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## JagLover (Aug 31, 2013)

BenSt said:


> It wasn't THAT bad, I mean it was dreadful but it had some good parts.  I was quite disappointed that it was cancelled if truth be told, I was just getting into it.  The characters were two dimensional at best, but it was a nice little escape and for being one of the big network's it wasn't as bad as some of the other series of the time *coughs*Outcasts*splutters*.


 
Given the amount of money spent making it "dreadful but not THAT bad" is hardly much of an endorsement.

To my mind they made two fundamental errors

1. They kept with a monster/crises of the week format which looks decidedly old fashioned for any new Sci-fi series now.

2. The didn't properly develop their characters and make them interesting enough. 

Of course the writing was generally poor as well.


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## Dozmonic (Aug 31, 2013)

JoanDrake said:


> Avatar isn't *Pocahontas*, it's *Fern Gully*. Honestly, watch FG one time, you'll wonder why Avatar wasn't sued for plagiarism.



Without Batty, who made Fern Gully for me when I was a kid!


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## BenSt (Sep 1, 2013)

JagLover said:


> Given the amount of money spent making it "dreadful but not THAT bad" is hardly much of an endorsement.
> 
> To my mind they made two fundamental errors
> 
> ...



Luckily, friend, I am not in the business of giving out endorsements.  I don't disagree with your assessment, however I would reframe it a bit.  I think it all comes down to expectations, and if the series doesn't follow through with those expectations then you'll be sorely disappointed.  My expectation was for a series that was, for forty minutes, set in a different place with a little action/adventure and a bit of eye candy.  It gave me that.  The characters as you say were poorly developed, they were, but they did follow a general mold which was easy to follow.  Likewise, you say that the series followed an old-fashioned format of monster/crises of the week... I would say not old-fashioned, I would say that it followed a classic format.

It was what it was, I found it enjoyable, it's not something I'm going to geek over and spend hours upon hours working on building a Wiki of it... but compared to some of the others at the time.  I think perhaps part of the disappointment was that it seemed so promising at first and that it could go on to replace some of the major franchises we just lost.


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