Terra Nova - Genesis (Parts 1 & 2)

Steven Spielberg's prehistoric television series, Terra Nova took a long time to arrive.  To keep it separate from Jurassic Park, he chose to move to Australia to film (plus it's heaps cheaper).  In fact it is made just over an hours drive from my place.  I even know someone who had a credited role int he show.  The only trouble with filming here in Oz is that I don't think we can make television at the same standard as the Americans.  However, I must say, this is the best looking television show ever made in Australia.  This took a long time to come because Mr Spielberg wanted to make sure the special effects are top notch and most of them are good quality but some are still a bit dodgy.  Oh well, apparently you can't have everything!
The season premiere was actually the first two episodes back to back.  The story starts in the year 2149 where the air is polluted and the population is controlled to a maximum of two children at a time.  We open with policeman Jim Shannon, played by Jason O'Mara (Resident Evil: Extinction) arriving home with a special gift for his family, an orange.  They just can't get them anymore.  We meet his family, his scientist/doctor wife, Elisabeth (Shelly Conn from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), his son Josh and daughters Maddy and Zoe.  Yes, they have three children.  Then the population control cops arrive and the Shannon's hide Zoe but she panics and cries and is found.  Jim fights to protect his family but is subdued, arrested and sentenced to prison.
Moving forward six year, Elisabeth is offered a second chance for her and the two eldest children to travel back in time to a place called Terra Nova.  It is a time of a pristine earth with no pollution.  But like any mother, she is not going to leave her family behind and engineers to break her husband out of prison.  As they line up to walk through the portal, Jim is noticed and with a massive backpack, makes a run for it and just gets through the portal.  The air is clean so it makes it hard to breath and Jim is incapacitated.  Guards immediately attack because he is unauthorised and are about to damage the backpack, when they tear it open to reveal Zoe.
The parents are brought before the Commander of Terra Nova, Nathaniel Taylor, a no nonsense leader who while he is not happy about the breach in protocol, is also a realist and is happy he has Mrs Shannon.  He assigns Jim to agricultural duty.  The Commander is played by Stephen Lang, a very similar role he played in Avatar.  I can almost see the casting process: "We need someone like Stephen Lang in Avatar.  Hey, rather than have someone act like Stephen and people draw comparisons, lets just get Stephen Lang!" While both characters have a tough job managing a new protected colony in a jungle infested new world, Commander Taylor is generally a good guy and will get the opportunity to grow as a character throughout the series.  I was half expecting him ot say "Welcome to Pandora!"
The enclosure of Terra Nova is a successfully realised creation made up of the command centre, markets, housing, medical centre/laboratory and fields.  I also like the way they have portrayed the family unit.  Zoe doesn't remember her Dad, Josh is angry that his Dad was sent to prison and left them to fend for themselves, and his wife is a little awkward around him when it comes to sleeping arrangements, especially as Zoe has been sleeping in her Mum's bed for years.
Our family came through the portal as part of the tenth pilgrimage.  The group of people who came through on the sixth pilgrimage where aggressive and tried to take over Terra Nova and were banished for their crimes.  Now they constantly cause problems for the Terra Novans and are called the Sixers.  They have one as a captive, who escapes and tries to kill the Commander, but Jim's police training kicks in and he stops the Sixer.  The Commander is impressed and instead of having to do the back-breaking agricultural work, he assigns Jim to his security detail. They trade the Sixer with his own group for a mineral ore that Terra Nova needs and we get to meet the leader of the Sixers, Mira.
Meanwhile, Josh has met some kids his own age, especially a young lady by the name of Skye, who invites him to come with them to the outside where they have an alcoholic still set up.  While swimming together, Josh and Skye come across some carvings in the rocks that look like mathematical equations.  She asks Josh to not let anyone know they have seen them.  When they go to leave, they find the Sixers have stolen their power cells and are stranded.  And then, they get attacked by some rather nasty dinosaurs!  This scene (while the other kids are annoying) is quite well done.  When the kids can't be found, a rescue mission is launched and Jim and the Commander go in search of the kids, find them just in time (is there any other type?!) and fight off the dinosaurs.
What are the mysterious carvings?  The Commander asks if Skye went to the waterfall and she says no.  Does he believe her?  The episode finishes with Mira looking at the carvings saying they are a part of a plan.
Cool.
I thought this was a pretty damn good start to a promising series.  I will definitely be watching this.  Keep up this level of story, acting and special effects and we might just have a hit on our hands!