On the box

Arrow hits the mark

After the typically pedestrian summer programming, the best thing us television enthusiasts have to look forward to in the New Year is the bevvy of almost movie trailer-esque previews for the coming year’s entertainment.

One such program is the highly anticipated Arrow - which the Nine Network has secured for later in the year. If you’ve watched Nine at all over summer you’d have seen their spruiking of Arrow – a show that according to the promo appears to be about a shirtless man who lifts concrete blocks in a dimly-lit gym.  In truth, the American-produced program has been airing on the CW network, a station better known for its characteristically flashy teen dramas such as Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries and the ill-fated 90210 re-make.

Based on the comic book The Green Arrow, Arrow draws many of its characters from its source but also adds a fresh take on the world of Starling City.  Arrow’s story focuses on Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy who gets stranded on an island to return as a masked vigilante. Oliver Queen (played by Stephen Amell) is a brooding, muscleman who suffers from night terrors related to his time away.

As his hooded alter-ego, Queen attacks the rich and greedy and tries to make up for his past deeds as a spoiled heir. In a lot of ways, the Oliver Queen character is very similar to Bruce Wayne and in Arrow it’s easy to see some resemblance between the two heroes. It’s a fairly clichéd story but the added subplots of industrial espionage and romance really keep this show exciting. Not to mention, the heavy action scenes which are very well executed. Queen is an intriguing main character, who apparently learned parkour and gymnastics as well as Mandarin and Russian during his time on the mysterious island.

The pilot episode reveals a fairly grim tone which is complemented by the feel of a modern soap.  Early on in the piece it is revealed that this isn’t a program for children, as unlike many of the other comic-book related heroes in the media – Arrow kills his enemies. Sometimes graphically.

What can you expect from a guy that shoots arrows at people though, really? Arrow is part Gossip Girl part Lost and part Law and Order but still manages to be quite a funny show. It has the romance and love triangles, mysterious island and the masked hero all in the one format and despite what I’d expected: it actually works.

Arrow has the charm and intrigue to compel viewers and I can already tell that it will gain a cult status among fans. Arrow is a lot of fun to watch, for many reasons and is definitely worth a look when it airs shortly.