The original 1960’s series The Prisoner co-created by and starring the late Patrick McGoohan is long considered one of the great cult television series. Far ahead of it’s time and long reaching in its influence, the show combined elements of sci-fi and espionage with allegorical drama.
Long in development this “re-imagining” finally arrives on DVD with Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ) in the role of Number Six and Sir Ian McKellen (Lord Of The Rings) as his tormentor Number Two.
The pilot episode begins with Number Six waking up in the desert, with a severe case of amnesia. After finding his way out, he stumbles upon a small town referred to as The Village, where everyone including himself is known only by a number and nobody has any recollection of the outside world. Anyone who does attempt to leave or asks too many questions ends up dead. As portions of his memory start to return (shown via flashbacks) Number Six plots his escape, while trying to uncover the truth about The Village and the reason behind his captivity. McKellen adds some weight to the proceedings staring as Number Two, the leader of this mysterious community, who torments Six through a series of mind games while trying to convince him that his identity and life in The Village are real and that his fragmented memories are a dream.
When messing with such revered material, the makers always run the risk of upsetting the core fan base but truth be told The Prisoner was always ripe for a remake as while the premise remained thought provoking and fresh, the naturally camp elements of the 60’s production kept it from enduring the way its should.
The new mini series has made some interesting updates. In the original series Number Six was a British Spy who resigns and the next day wakes up to find himself in The Village, his captors desperately trying to uncover the reason behind his resignation. In this version, we initially know very little about Six but he does not work for the government, nor is he British and the bout of amnesia is also an added touch by writer Bill Gallagher. Another major change is that the character of Number Two is a constant through out the mini series, where as in the 60’s show they would appoint a different Number Two each episode.
As interesting as the new series sounds on paper, there is one major flaw that prevents it from being compelling viewing. It’s boring, really boring. Due to torturous pacing, the show lacks any real suspense or excitement, when it could easily have been addictive viewing.
Sometimes a remake can be enjoyed on it’s own merits but often they seem to miss the point of the original intent as is the case here. Gone is the social commentary or symbolism of the classic series, when there was so much potential to explore the social and political issues of our modern world.
The ending of the original series was ambiguous and Twilight Zone-esque in nature, but here, the writers strain to come up with a definitive ending , settling for one doesn’t nearly satisfy as intended.
Verdict:
While not a complete write off, not even the combined forces of Jesus and Gandalf can save this from being anything more than just a passable time killer.
