It was a no-brainer to add Dominion to my summer viewing list, only because I think I'm one of the few people to actually like the movie Legion. But I do have to point out that my enjoyment of the film is mostly actually due to star Paul Bettany and that I never felt that the film pushed itself to be taken seriously. Mostly, it was the storytelling potential that made me remember the film.
One day, God decides to abandon all of his creation, causing the archangel Gabriel to wage war against the humans in his belief that their unworthiness caused God's disappearance. He is aided by lesser angels who require possessing human bodies in order to wreak the havoc on humans that Gabriel aims for. Archangel Michael sides with the humans, aiding in the survival of a baby that they have determined would be the future savior.
Dominion takes place 25 years after the events of Legion, with Michael (Tom Wisdom) aiding the surviving humans in the constant struggle against Gabriel and his horde of "eight balls" or lesser angel-possessed humans. The survivors have walled themselves up in Vega, formerly Las Vegas, living in a hierarchical society where every individual is assigned a ranking in the V-System, thus dictating limitations and privileges available to them. They prosper or suffer, depending on their ranking, while they await for the savior to reveal himself and save them from their plight against the angels. Sgt. Alex Lannon (Christopher Egan) is a soldier of Vega and is prone to get himself in a lot of trouble, caring more about marrying his lover Claire Riesen (Roxanne McKee), daughter of Lord of the City Edward Riesen (Alan Dale), and hopefully surviving outside of Vega in case their marriage meets the disapproval of her father. General Riesen is faced with the issue of his own mortality as he worries over the continued survival of the humans in Vega, while trying to fend off the machinations of other political figures like Consul David Wheele (Anthony Head) who thinks more about profit than awaiting the arrival of humanity's savior. Meanwhile, Michael watches over Alex, awaiting the day that the young man is named as the Chosen One.
Dominion boasts a solid enough cast. While I would always prefer Paul Bettany, I found myself enjoying the casting of Tom Wisdom as the archangel Michael. He brought the right amount of broodiness and mystery, and it's easy to believe that his Michael is very much different from the rest of Vega's population even without having to show his wings. Alan Dale is always welcome on any TV series, especially when he's playing against the usual villainous role. And of course, I would watch anything that has Anthony Head in it. I do feel, though, that these three can easily overshadow the lead character of Alex Lannon, with Christopher Egan providing a good performance, but not quite standing out as he should considering his role in the story.
As I have mentioned, it was the storytelling potential in Legion that made me interested in the film. Though I have to admit that their decision to embrace gratuitous violence lent some gravity to my oddly entertained state throughout my viewing (apparently, I was a different viewing creature back in 2010). It is the very storytelling potential that drove me to watch the recently concluded apocalyptic offering of Syfy. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite come together for Dominion when it comes to storytelling.
As I've mentioned, I found that it's hard to connect with Alex Lannon as the lead character, and it doesn't help that his character's struggle with his new role, albeit unannounced, as the Chosen One doesn't come off quite as compelling as the other issues that crop up in the series. Dominion has a large cast of characters, and each individual has his or her own stories to share. With an eight episode run, both individual and overarching stories suffer, with some being rushed in order to herald the next struggle, while others take too long to progress. The uneven storytelling has caused the series's major reveals to suffer, creating very little impact in my experience as a viewer.
Considering that the TV series format would have provided Dominion more breathing room than its film predecessor in terms of storytelling, I felt that its creators missed out greatly on world-building or in properly expanding our connection with the characters. As a viewer, I doled out my empathy for the characters in small doses, and that's usually a bad sign when related to my intent to watch future episodes or seasons, if there will be any.
Dominion is not all that bad, and I did mention that the cast is pretty solid. It featured some good, and occasionally great, moments that made me stick around to watch all eight episodes of the TV series. There are characters that are actually compelling and story lines that I wouldn't mind that they explore further into. One can only hope that they have the chance to make those improvements, since they have yet to announce a second season renewal.
Would I watch if they do get renewed, though?
I honestly don't know. I might, just to see if they can make me interested in seeing the fruits of Michael's labors. Or I might not, even if it means not watching Anthony Head on TV.
Just okay viewing with this one.Labels: Action, Dominion, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural, Syfy, TV, TV Series
