True Lies is a fan favorite action film from the mid-90s. It had the star power of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis along with super director James Cameron. It follows a middle-aged couple whose wife becomes too comfortable and bored with her marriage. It only takes a dangerous world threat and the discovery that her husband is a secret agent to add some spice into their lives. Working together, they take down a terrorist group. CBS has taken this premise to inspire their latest series of the same name.
In the series premiere, True Lies really captures the superspy and espionage aspect. Harry Tasker (Steve Howey) and his team have the slickness and efficiency to complete their missions in style. The soundtrack helps accentuate the cool and chic of their real day job. In addition, they have plenty of nifty gadgets and technology to take with them into the field.
The action scenes are exciting and fun. Nothing as over the top as a Harrier Jet attacking a skyscraper, but entertaining nonetheless. There is even a clever sequence that parallels the stresses Harry endures while on a mission and the more mundane events in a typical day of his family. It reinforces the duality of his life, and how clueless Helen (Ginger Gonzaga) and their kids are of what is really going on.
However, there are parts of True Lies that don’t quite reach the heights of the original. Considering the network the series is on, it’s understandable that it won’t have the rated R content as the film. Yet story-wise, the show feels muted compared to the source material that inspires it. The writing is a bit too corny and wholesome to match the outlandish premise.
Helen is the only interesting character so far because through Gonzaga’s performance, you sense her frustrations of the monotony and a desire for more excitement. Howey has all the physical qualities for the action, but his character has you wanting for more. He doesn’t have the presence of Schwarzenegger and I’d like a little bit more from Harry than always reminding people of how much he loves his wife. Omar Miller is funny as Gib, the best friend/man in the van/fixer but the other members of the team feel one dimensional with clichéd personalities.
One part that makes True Lies the film so engaging is the gradual build up to Harry’s big secret. Who can forget the strip tease and truth serum scenes? Here, it feels all so rushed and unbelievable on how Helen discovers her husband’s double life and how she’s drawn into the secret organization. It could have benefitted from drawing out the reveal over several episodes to play with the tension in the relationship. But instead, the show goes for an easy out to help establish what looks like will be a formulaic case of the week format.
The series premiere of True Lies seems like a muted version of the original, but at least it executes the superspy side effectively.
New episodes of True Lies air Wednesdays on CBS.
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