Making series based on successful films from the past has increased dramatically in recent years. That this seems to be a success formula is a true lie. The same goes for True Lies. Director James Cameron made a very nice action comedy film in the 90s called True Lies. The concept was entertaining to watch and the source material could lend itself well to an entertaining series. When I heard that a series based on this film was being made, I was hopeful. The possibilities are endless and you have a nice base to build on. I regret to conclude that creative poverty has struck again. We can add True Lies to the ever-growing list of hopeless remakes.
True Lies is about Harry Tasker (Steve Howey, Shameless (US)), an international spy for the US intelligence agency Omega Sector, and his wife Helen Tasker (Ginger Gonzaga, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), a professor of languages who is bored by her daily grind. Helen makes a shocking discovery that her ordinary husband leads an extraordinary double life. When Helen discovers her husband's secret, she is recruited by Omega, impressing everyone with her impressive skills (thanks to tae-bo and yoga). She joins Harry and his team of top agents and together they embark on secret missions around the world and an exciting life of danger and adventure, keeping their adventures a secret from their children.
If you read the above, the concept sounds pretty fun, right? That's how I remember the movie, True Lies. The basis of a seemingly normal family with in reality an adventurous life as spies is a nice starting point. All you have to do as creators is make the best possible use of this. The missions all over the world are free to fill in and lend themselves to an entertaining and coherent story that will continue to fascinate the viewer. This way you can empathize with the characters. Unfortunately, True Lies does not have all of this.
The missions that the viewer is presented with are not interesting for the most part. It doesn't hold your attention or is simply not believable. The briefings in preparation for the missions are held in a secret location and are provided on a screen by a very annoying computer voice. It doesn't help to get the right experience. To stay positive, not everything is bad about this series. In some episodes, the missions are still entertaining to watch and you see some nice locations.
The biggest problem why the series doesn't appeal to me is the casting.
The biggest problem why the series doesn't appeal to me is the casting. The main actors really do have qualities, but the chemistry between the characters is completely absent. The chemistry between Harry and Helen should burst from the screen as they go on adventures together. On the other hand, it is mostly uncomfortable. The rest of the cast members also put on wooden acting performances.
A remake based on a film has again ended in disappointment. In the final, a setup was carefully made for a possible second season. Fortunately, we are spared this. I was still doubting whether I would give this series an insufficient rating, but I am a positive person. There are people who have probably tried to make something of it with all good intentions. Unfortunately, this was not the case, but for the effort and the fact that I did watch the series, I still give it a sufficient.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
