This is another show that sort of landed under the radar, once again not a sci-fi classic but could've been had just like Matts power been developed a little more and kept on the right course. The premise is good as its alien visitation sci-fi mixed with a little superhero genre. It's sort of ironic as this show came out near the same time as the movies "E.T." and "Starman" which both made the alien visitation sub-genre take off once more.
In a way the show predates TV shows "Roswell" (original version), "Supergirl "as their premises are slightly similar. I do like the premise which was mixing in alien visitation sci-fi, the superhero genre, and teen agust and you have this show in a nutshell. But also, was a unique concept at the time, putting a sci-fi spin onto the coming of age tale.
The effects are solid for what they are at the time, it was kind of cool seeing Matt using some of his superpowers like telekinesis mainly as well as teleportation later on. And the action is decent, we do get to see Matt and even Sheep take a proactive approach on things with and without powers. It even has a pretty good theme song which has sort of a out of this world optimistic vibe.
Matthew is a solid protagonist whom is a good-natured person much like Archie Andrews whom wants to do the right thing and just see the best in people and himself. His developing superpowers are obviously metaphor on coming of age which by its nature is what the show really is; the superpowers represent Matt's constant growth during teen hood.
I really like how he reacts and utilizes his powers, where he' s fascinated but at the same time a tad unsure as it's something new and foreign that entered his life, which is like with us when we go thought he motions of change. He's also not perfect with the powers as we see at times, he has trouble making them work right, at the right times, or even unaware of it's limits which also is part of what change is a constant learning process.
But what really makes the show work are the characters themselves. From seeing the father son like chemistry between both Matt and Shep. The fact that the mentor/surrogate father figure Shep is played by Louis Gossett Jr. makes it all the better, he's another of those underrated actors I really like. I really like how both really do have a father and son like bond which I found believable and how both have agreements and disagreements on things from how things go on their life on earth and life from their planet.
But also like the chemistry between Matt and Pam played well by Amy Steel whom of course is well known for "Friday the 13th part.2" but that film is another story, though I never even knew about her staring in that film at the time, as the first time I saw here was really this show. I really like Pam as she just has this sparky persona but also possess warmth and understanding. The romance between both is solid and does develop a little. Which is part of what makes this show unique where we see a teen couple in an actual relationship which I always found more interesting than seeing the typical GF or BF of the week, which is tedious and pointless.
But despite the show gaining altitude on its saucer, there are some things that just hold it back from going up the stratosphere. The only problem with the show is there's no plot development as the situation on Matts planet isn't touched upon much and we don't really see both Matt and Shep in danger much or at all from the alien assassins.
But the main problem with the show is that it's a little uneven, right about in the middle of the season the show drifted off course for a while which suddenly came out of the blue. Not to say that most of those episodes in the middle were bad but they weren't as both Matt and Shep we're still themselves and doing their thing, but it wasn't the same as if both suddenly jumped into a different TV show which was the same problem "Andromeda" had with its fifth season. This along with the absence of Pam sometime within the season, really hurt the show for me, though by the season finale the show got back on the right track, but it was too little too late.
I honestly wouldn't mind a revival but maybe have a little depth on the home planet and the war going on. And as Billy is developing his powers have him kick a little more ass fight some of those alien assassins and not just deal in human situations all the time. And have a season where he's not just saving his planet but also Earth; this is a thought worth considering anyway.
Overall if you're into alien visitation sci-fi from the 80's this show like any of Matt's powers, it's worth a try.
Rating: 3 stars
In a way the show predates TV shows "Roswell" (original version), "Supergirl "as their premises are slightly similar. I do like the premise which was mixing in alien visitation sci-fi, the superhero genre, and teen agust and you have this show in a nutshell. But also, was a unique concept at the time, putting a sci-fi spin onto the coming of age tale.
The effects are solid for what they are at the time, it was kind of cool seeing Matt using some of his superpowers like telekinesis mainly as well as teleportation later on. And the action is decent, we do get to see Matt and even Sheep take a proactive approach on things with and without powers. It even has a pretty good theme song which has sort of a out of this world optimistic vibe.
Matthew is a solid protagonist whom is a good-natured person much like Archie Andrews whom wants to do the right thing and just see the best in people and himself. His developing superpowers are obviously metaphor on coming of age which by its nature is what the show really is; the superpowers represent Matt's constant growth during teen hood.
I really like how he reacts and utilizes his powers, where he' s fascinated but at the same time a tad unsure as it's something new and foreign that entered his life, which is like with us when we go thought he motions of change. He's also not perfect with the powers as we see at times, he has trouble making them work right, at the right times, or even unaware of it's limits which also is part of what change is a constant learning process.
But what really makes the show work are the characters themselves. From seeing the father son like chemistry between both Matt and Shep. The fact that the mentor/surrogate father figure Shep is played by Louis Gossett Jr. makes it all the better, he's another of those underrated actors I really like. I really like how both really do have a father and son like bond which I found believable and how both have agreements and disagreements on things from how things go on their life on earth and life from their planet.
But also like the chemistry between Matt and Pam played well by Amy Steel whom of course is well known for "Friday the 13th part.2" but that film is another story, though I never even knew about her staring in that film at the time, as the first time I saw here was really this show. I really like Pam as she just has this sparky persona but also possess warmth and understanding. The romance between both is solid and does develop a little. Which is part of what makes this show unique where we see a teen couple in an actual relationship which I always found more interesting than seeing the typical GF or BF of the week, which is tedious and pointless.
But despite the show gaining altitude on its saucer, there are some things that just hold it back from going up the stratosphere. The only problem with the show is there's no plot development as the situation on Matts planet isn't touched upon much and we don't really see both Matt and Shep in danger much or at all from the alien assassins.
But the main problem with the show is that it's a little uneven, right about in the middle of the season the show drifted off course for a while which suddenly came out of the blue. Not to say that most of those episodes in the middle were bad but they weren't as both Matt and Shep we're still themselves and doing their thing, but it wasn't the same as if both suddenly jumped into a different TV show which was the same problem "Andromeda" had with its fifth season. This along with the absence of Pam sometime within the season, really hurt the show for me, though by the season finale the show got back on the right track, but it was too little too late.
I honestly wouldn't mind a revival but maybe have a little depth on the home planet and the war going on. And as Billy is developing his powers have him kick a little more ass fight some of those alien assassins and not just deal in human situations all the time. And have a season where he's not just saving his planet but also Earth; this is a thought worth considering anyway.
Overall if you're into alien visitation sci-fi from the 80's this show like any of Matt's powers, it's worth a try.
Rating: 3 stars