It is hard to say if it is because I wear nerdy shirts, because I read comics in public, or because I am constantly making super hero references but people at work always ask me if I like what ever popular comic book movie/TV show is hot and new. Daily people come up to me and say, “you like Big Bang Theory, right? ” (the answer is that I do NOT). This week people have been asking me if I liked Agents of SHIELD (I’m still on the fence, by the way). So I often just shrugged it off when common, non-nerdy people asked me if I liked Arrow. It wasn’t until my fellow comic book friends were telling me how good it was that I finally decided to watch it.
Arrow starts off a little cheesy, to be honest. The show suffers many of the same issues as most CW shows do. Poor lighting, somewhat hammy dialogue, and several scenes set in warehouses just to save money permeate the first couple of episodes. The series begins to get its footing in the third episode, Lone Gunman. After that point, the dialogue gets crisper, the lighting gets a little harder, and the character cameos amp up! Deathstroke, Deadshot, Roy Harper, Huntress, Merlyn, and Count Vertigo all get updated, more realistic versions for the show! Not only that but the cast guest stars and cast are refreshing too. Not only are the main cast very talented, but we also get an appearance by James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as jewel the Dodger and John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Torchwood) makes more than a few appearances…but I won’t spoil who he is!
I went from disliking the pilot to the show growing on me to loving the show and not being able to stop! I never expected to get hooked on Arrow as Green Arrow is not my favorite character. The show even makes light of some of the sillier aspects of the character. The show has humor, heart, action, and mystery. If this keeps up and the Flash spin-off takes off, I will be even more in love with the DC Universe!
Despite the series being a pleasant surprise, the special features are nothing special. Some deleted scenes that were deleted for a reason, a blooper reel (that is good for a few laughs), and “stunts and training” feature make up the majority of the bonus material. There is a feature called Arrow Comes Alive that is kinda fun and talks about the character’s evolution. Over all, I’m giving the show a 4 out of 5 arrows but the Blu-ray features’ quiver only has about 2. Overall score: 3.5!
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher