魯濱遜漂流記 (2008)

Some of the pirates tonight, perhaps inevitably, take on a little of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow. But the acting is generally solid and the action is both stirring and, happily, easy to follow.

Surprise! Crusoe's good, and by "good" I mean competently produced and acted.

Demanding absolute sense or ironclad consistency from a show like this is like wanting a butterfly to fly a straighter line, not only pointless but somehow unnatural.

The irony of a series like Crusoe is that its provenance is a classic, much-analyzed novel, but the creators and NBC really just hope you’ll watch it because it’s Lost without the pretentious reach. And that’s fine, too.

For all its shortcomings and flat flourishes, Crusoe has one very significant thing going for it, a virtue that can be summarized in four reassuring words: At Least It's Different.

Once you figure out that the show is pure fluffy action-adventure and uses the book only as a flimsy guidepost, it's actually pretty entertaining.

That NBC has bought into this concept reflects network TV's lowered expectations, but the series' two-hour premiere is a respectable effort--handsomely shot and offering old-fashioned end-of-the-week escapism, albeit with a character unable to escape his own island purgatory.

The two-hour pilot episode was engaging and fun in a way that NBC's other throwback dramas ("Knight Rider," "My Own Worst Enemy") have failed to be.

The chemistry between Winchester and Chirisa is great and very believeable, which goes to the acting ability of both men. It's not easy to make relationships seem real in this out-there fantasy.

Faithful to the original story: NOT! Good clean fun? Yeah, it’s all right. Suspension of disbelief feasibility rating: well, you’d have to be pretty naïve to think it’s got any level of realism, so let’s say 2 out of 10. It’s about on the level of Starsky and Hutch (remember them?) brought into the new millennium. A pair of right-on dudes, fighting the good fight and seeing off the baddies, resolutely sticking to good family values while being a little bit badass, properly aware of racial and slavery issues, nicely done period touches but highly unlikely plotting for the period. If you want blood, gore and real grittiness, forget it. If you want a light, fantasy-spinning (note lower-case f) bit of feel-good, swashbuckling, swords-and-bodices (with no bodices ripped) melodrama with comedic touches (some of which are intended), this could be for you.