From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 1 (Blu-ray) – Series Review
Some of you might remember the original movie ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ which came out in 1996. This new series, although staying as true as possible to the original story, has its own way of portraying the events. If you have or haven’t watched the original movie, the series still succeeds in surprising in more than one way. Here’s why.
As probably a lot among you won’t know what From Dusk Till Dawn is all about, here’s a summary of the story (without spoiling too much as this would greatly ruin the experience). The story starts of in a local liquor store where the Gecko brothers (professional bankrobbers) have taken 2 customers hostage. An unsuspecting Texas Ranger, called Earl (Don Johnson), walks in and when he gets shot by one of the brothers, the mentally unstable Richie (Zane Holtz), all hell breaks loose. Earl’s partner soon enters the scene and as he swears to fulfill Earl’s dying wish to kill his murderers, the Geckos flee the scene. Apparently they made a financial deal with the shady character Carlos (Wilmer Valderrama). For a nice share of their latest bank job, Carlos will make them disappear in El Rey, or so he says. Right of the bat, you can see that Carlos isn’t all what he seems at first. Meanwhile, Richie suffers from great delusions and visions which make him look an incredible nutjob. Episode per episode, you’ll see the reason why Richie gets these visions and who exactly Carlos is. Then there’s the Fuller family too, consisting of Jacob Fuller (Robert Patrick) and his son Scott (Brandon Soo Hoo) and daughter Kate (Madison Davenport). They seem to be on a road trip at first but after a while, the reason for the sudden trek becomes more clear as it looks like Jacob has something to hide. Eventually, all these characters meet in the last few episodes and they all play a major part in the season finale which unfolds at a pretty swift pace.
The story is an entertaining one to follow as you really want to know what’s wrong with Richie. Because this is a series, the buildup is a lot steadier than what you’d see in the original movie where the events happen right after one another. Here’s, there’s a lot more room for character development and interaction which is certainly a good thing. The closer the series gets to the season finale, the faster the whole plot becomes which makes for a nice change of pace compared to the less action-packed scenes in the beginning.
A lot of things are different in the TV show compared to the movie like newly introduced characters (I’ll mention one of them later on in this review) but one major trait of the movie was kept and enhanced in the series. Of course, I’m talking about the blood and gore. One of most entertaining aspects in the 1996’s movie was the excessive use of violence and bloody action scenes. Not only did they add some more gallons of blood, the amount of body parts being ripped apart is quite astonishing. The special effects look incredibly fake and cheesy but this makes the series just that much more entertaining.
The cast of From Dusk Till Dawn is a varied one with not the most known names in the Hollywood world but nevertheless, some great actors and actresses. As a matter of fact, it’s quite refreshing to see some lesser known names in the mix. The actors who play the Gecko brothers (D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holtz) play well together and as they both need to portray a completely different kind of character in regards of traits and personality, it’s pleasant to see them at work. Freddie, Earl’s partner, is a pretty major character throughout the whole series and actor Jesse Garcia makes for a convincing Texas Ranger. What’s important to note is that in the original movie, Freddie’s character didn’t even exist so in the series, there’s a whole new side of the story which greatly fleshes out the main plot. Actually, there are quite a few novelties compared to 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn. Fans of the original will certainly like the more in depth storyline and extra perspectives in the TV show. To circle back to the acting part, not everyone is as good as the previously mentioned actors. Brandon Soo Hoo’s‘ (Seth) performances felt a bit too artificial and too much like a routine at times. Nothing really to get frustrated about but the acting could’ve used some more tweaking. The rest of the cast ranged from good to very good so no complaints there.
From Dusk Till Dawn comes with a bunch of extras to watch afterwards. A full length trailer, audio commentary, a behind the scenes documentary and character bio featurettes of some of the most important characters are a few of the goodies you can expect. Definitely enough background information for you to check out.
Conclusion
The series presents us with a successful and more fleshed-out reinvention of the original From Dusk Till Dawn movie. You’ll see a lot more character development and more perspectives on the story which makes the series an enjoyable experience content wise. The best part of the 1996’s movie was kept and even enhanced which creates a continuous flow of over the top, gory moments. Overall, if you like weird stuff and violence, this might just be the series for you!
From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 1 (Blu-ray) - Series Review,
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