Product Description: Join one of TV's most stunning breakout heroines as the action-packed series Bionic Woman leaps into DVD! From executive producer David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) comes this gripping re-imagining of the universally beloved character.Jamie Sommers is a hard-working woman struggling to take care of her younger sister. But after a serious life-threatening accident Jamie is saved by a top-secret procedure that makes her much more than just an ordinary woman it makes her superhumanly bionic. Starring hot newcomer Michelle Ryan as well as Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan) Molly Price (Third Watch) Will Yun Lee (Witchblade) Lucy Kate Hale (How I Met Your Mother) and guest stars Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) it's a non-stop thrill ride unlike anything you've seen before!System Requirements:Running Time: 338 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195021197 Manufacturer No: 61102667
Amazon.com: An action series featuring a strong, yet vulnerable heroine, this 2007 remake of the 1976-1978 The Bionic Woman series is a completely different show than its predecessor--a fact that is just as apt to earn it condemnation from diehard fans of the original series as it is commendation from contemporary audiences. What's impressive about this new series is the impeccable casting of virtual newcomer Michelle Ryan as the totally believable everywoman-turned-superhuman following a devastating car accident and the prevalence of special effects which, though not quite on par with the quality of current full-length films, are far superior to those typically seen on a weekly network series. What's not so great about this new series is the lack of continuity of peripheral plot points from episode to episode and its often awkward juxtaposition of the family drama playing out between Jamie and her sister Becca (Lucy Hale) and Jamie's action-packed work life. The eight episodes that comprise this full season begin with Jamie's horrific accident and her reconstruction with bionics and then move on to explore her difficulty adjusting to super-strength. Jamie's sense of moral and monetary obligation to the Berkut Group for saving her life, along with some significant pressure from Berkut's Jonas (Miguel Ferrer), convinces her to join the company's crusade against world criminals and quickly plunges her into missions ranging from apprehending arms dealers to stopping deadly biological attacks and thwarting assassination plots. All the while, Jamie struggles to provide a stable home and relatively normal existence for her younger sister. When the first bionic woman appears, the psychologically unstable Sarah Corvus played by Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff, she threatens Jamie's physical and mental well-being and brings into question the potential life expectancy of bionic technology and Jamie herself. The pilot commentary by executive producer David Eike details the contentious, tension-filled atmosphere that accompanied every aspect of the show's production as well as some of his personal regrets regarding the quality of the special effects used in the series. Other bonus features include a brief look at the making of the car crash with visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel; an interview with Melissa Stubbs about Michelle Ryan's training and the stunt work in the show; profile interviews with Ryan, Sackhoff, Ferrer, and executive producer David Eike; and a look at the reality of bionics in modern day medicine. Bionic Woman is an action series rich with drama and psychological undercurrents that will captivate those able to put aside preconceived notions about the Bionic Woman series. --Tami Horiuchi
A Very Badly Written TV Show; A Big Let-Down Don't bother with this. BIONIC WOMAN failed miserably for obvious reasons, reasons that had nothing to do with the 2007 writer's guild strike:
Michelle Ryan is very pretty, but she does not have the acting style or stage presence of a physically dynamic, athletic action hero. She belongs in comedies and historical soap operas. The only dynamic female presence on the show was Katee Sackhoff, and she was playing a villain! It's not a good sign when viewers clamor to see less of the heroine and more of the villainess!
All of the support characters were repulsive. There was no one to root for. The younger sister (who looked, ridiculously, like she could almost be Ryan's age; why didn't they hire an actual 14-year-old?) was an annoying brat. The boss was cold, harsh, dark, and cynical. The scientist/surgeon boyfriend was a liar. The company she worked for was a creepy paramilitary group based on Blackwater, that everyone was hearing bad things about in the news. Why watch a TV show featuring nasty characters you hope will soon be arrested by the proper authorities?
The show was dark, ugly, didn't have enough action, and too much RAIN. I want to see admirable, sympathetic lead characters in a weekly adventure TV show, even though flawed. But combine a bland lead actress with an overpowering female co-star, unexciting SFX, unappealing support characters, an amoral story structure, and zig-zagging show direction, and don't be shocked when viewers abandon it by the millions. Which they did. Once they got rid of Sackhoff, they didn't even have good villains, and villains are what make a superhero story.
Recycle This One This show was like a love child between the Scarecrow and the Tin Man from "Wizard of Oz": lacking both a heart and a brain. The first ten minutes--perhaps the most critical--seemed forced and rushed, and most of the plot developments afterwards I could see coming a mile away. The only redeeming quality of this show was Katee Sackhoff (AKA Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica - Season One), but she isn't enough to save this one.
What a lost opportunity I new saw any of the hype that led up to the broadcast of the new "Bionic Woman" so I didn't have a lot of expectations sitting down to watch the DVD. I Had the opposite actually given the negative press the show received. The critics weren't wrong.
It's not that "Bionic Woman" is bad TV. It's just so-so and it's flaws are so obvious that one has to wonder about the arrogance of the producers for not creating a better show.
"Bionic Woman" doesn't know what it wants to be and it squanders any sense of tension or drama.
There are times it's a drama and then there are these awkward moments when it slips into humor. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. When Jamie's boss comments that he wants a sound proofed office because Jamie has listened in on a private conversation it brings on a chuckle because it's real and true. When Jamie, like a bratty teenager, is complaining about her privacy and her boss acts like a father it's just not funny, it's downright annoying. Maybe the producers were trying to attract the female teen market with this approach, but it really helps to kill the show.
The plot device of Sarah Corvus helps destroy the tension and drama. The unknown is always scarier and more ominous than the known. In the 3rd or 4th episode Corvus is wheeled down a hallway strapped to a hand cart and passes Jamie Summers. Right then I knew it was over for me. Corvus was being introduced as a threat as required by the plot, nothing more.
"Bionic Woman" would have worked if it had taken itself a bit more seriously and created a grittier environment. It still could have had girl-power and even moments of sisterhood (Summer's relationship with her younger sister plays big in the show). It just wouldn't have been overwhelmed by these aspects.
And they just should have left the humor alone. This is not "Boston Legal." When Danny Crane speaks it's funny. When Jamie Summers whines it's not. Nor should she be funny. That's not what makes a bionic woman interesting. Given all of the issues they could have tackled - gender roles, sexism, medical ethics, terrorism, or just Summers adapting to such a freakish outcome in her life - it's astonishing that they didn't make a better show.
Not that bad This re-make of the classic series Bionic Woman is not as wretched as some would like to say. Overall it suffers from a slightly dull athmosphere, and it is true that the writing could have been tighter but the acting is rather good and the effects are first-rate even if they are somewhat in the background. So the story is quite simple, underachieving bartender Jamie Summers is almost killed during an accident and re-built by her experimental-surgeon boyfriend. Afterwards it is quite straightforward. But as I wrote it is not as bad as some other reviewers put it.
an entertaining remake Following a car accident, Will Anthros (Bowers) thanks to his surgeon capabilities and technological knowledge, does not lose his girlfriend, Jaime Sommers: instead, she wakes up to find herself with bionics in her body: her right ear, right eye, right arm, and both legs. Will she help the good guys with her fifty million dollars technology?
This is quite obviously a remake of the tv series "Bionic Woman" with Lindsay Wagner, and is in no way any better or worse than the original tv series.
The actors' performances isn't top notch quality. Michelle Ryan is not a bad actress, Lucy Bale's acting got on my nerves (she plays the 15-year-old sister who just doesn't look 15 at all), and Miguel Ferrer is basically the only reason I was interested in watching the show: he is quite good here. As was Chris Bowers, who unfortunately only had a short role that lasted 2 episodes.
It's too bad the series is an Alias wannabe. The team has Sommers and her partners travel from 1 country to the next, and it just feels like a lower quality than Alias.
Still, it's an enjoyable, entertaining series with a predictable ending for each episode. No thrills or surprises.
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