Atlantis: The new Merlin?

Created by producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps, the new series of 'Atlantis' was revealed last night on BBC 1, taking the spot of legendary magical drama 'Merlin', produced by the very same men.
Essentially, in almost Alice in Wonderland-esque parallel, the premise of the programme is a young man named Jason who accidently travels to the Lost City of Atlantis in the search for his father who was lost at sea a few weeks previously. It is there that he will meet his great destiny, his friends, his love interests, and most importantly, his home, something which he'd never quite found in the 'ordinary world'.

Now, even from the summary, it is easy to see the similarities between this, and other 'off world-y' dramas, from Merlin, to Gladiator, even to Harry Potter, in his naive understanding of a world he's been thrown into, yet has a great power in this world all the same. The City of Atlantis can be likened to an early Roman city, in it's dress, it's people, it's design, and even it's monarchy, with the great King Minos dubiously ruling the people into fear and hatred, ensuring his passionate beliefs in the Gods are spread throughout his lands. And from there, it is quite obvious that Jason does not fit in quite like the others.
Unlike Harry Potter, however, our hero isn't quite the embodiment of magic and mystery, and is very much a 21st century boy in a 3rd century world. The clothes don't suit him, he's useless with a sword, and he questions every little decision or tradition made by the people, and this is possibly why he does make such a good main character. Although it takes him a shockingly short amount of time to settle into his new life as citizen of Atlantis, willingly giving up everything he had of the world he'd lived in for 18 years of his life, there is so much happening in the first episode that an hour of deep characterisation on 'but how shall I live without my mobile phone?' seems unnecessary.

It should be said that we are still told very little about Jason's character, however. We don't know if he had any friends, or a girlfriend, any family, if he went to school, back in the real world, as the only person we meet is a colleague of his father's, who helps him in his search. This is an unfortunate negative in the episode, though, of course there is still plenty of time to explore this in further episodes. Another thing hopefully to be explored in the continuation of the series is originality, as possibility the biggest downside to the writing here is it's almost plagiarized story lines and dialogue. The parallels to 'Merlin' are literally endless; both central characters arrive in the world they will spend the rest of their lives, and instantly begin causing problems. The both start brawls in the marketplace, both upset figures of authority, and both end up stumbling into the place they will soon call their new home, with an older figure to care for them, a love interest of a higher class, and a best friend to 'banter' with as they go about trying to save the world. As an avid fan of Merlin, it was almost embarrassingly easy to spot the similarities in the two, especially in the relationship between Jason and new best friend Pythagoras (yes, the triangle guy from all those coma-inducing Maths lessons you don't remember), played by Robert Emms, previously known by his work in War Horse alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Unlike Merlin and Arthur, their relationship is much less of a slow burner, and a lot more instantaneous, with Jason literally falling into Pythagoras' lap and rolling around on the floor with him for a while, before going on to risk his life for him later on in the episode. As ever, this relationship is clearly going to be the one to focus on, with the BBC sprouting yet another timeless bromance for audiences to get their teeth into, yet, they still haven't learned their lesson when it comes to love interests.

Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, is the unlucky lady this time around, taking an immediate interest in Jason when he accompanies Pythagoras to Minos' courtroom halfway through the episode. Played by Aiysha Hart, the princess is obviously beautiful, and whilst there is some mild staring between the two characters, the chemistry is sadly lacking, and the girl herself actually appeared to be just a reincarnated season 1 Morgana Pendragon, defying her parents brutality, befriending the plebs, doing good work behind the King's back, although it is yet to be seen whether she too will take the dark and deadly route, and become the enemy of her very own family.

A character who is clearly going to become a favourite of the series has to be Mark Addy, playing a version of Hercules you wouldn't typically expect, with his portly figure and perpetual drunken state, he appears to be Pythagoras' grumpy landlord, who joins the two boys on their adventures around the city. A figure of light comic relief, he fits into the dynamic of the lads well, though it'll be interesting to see if he can get his teeth into the more gritty, emotional story lines, and if his cowardice, which was predominantly comic in this episode, will cause problems for them all later on in the series.

Overall, the episode was an enjoyable watch, if slightly on the simplistic, predictable side, and the characters themselves were very well cast, my personal favourite being adorably nerdy Pythagoras, and whilst it's likely that I will watch next week, the writers are definitely going to have to step up their game to keep me hooked for the entire series.

Sliding Doors (1998)

The proper 90’s classic, Sliding Doors is the ultimate British American film of the paranormal suburbia. The story features Helen, a young woman with a cheating boyfriend and a sudden case of unemployment, on the day she misses the tube after being fired from her job. However, this film is a little different from the typical heroine downfall and romantic interest life changer; except it’s not. Technically, it’s two films. Helen’s life is split in two the second she trips down the stairs of the London Underground. In one scenario, she is intercepted by a child, and misses her designated tube, and in another she catches the doors, and takes the first tube home.

A young Gwyneth Paltrow stars as the unlucky yet wonderfully sarcastic Helen, with John Hannah as the chatty and Scottish man James, whom she meets in both lives, yet keeps in only one. Paltrow is brilliant in this, playing two parts of the same woman, two lives, two hairstyles even, and though it is done with what is arguably an incredibly dodgy half-British accent, the overall effect of Helen is fantastically done. The stretch of the acting is done well too, with even the tiniest characteristics of Helen being modified and remembered as she goes through both lives, and the changes that happen to her along the way.John Hannah is such a warm and lovable character, in this as well, creating a signature trope of wit and quirk, with the famed line ‘no one expects the Spanish inquisition’, stolen from Monty Python but used perfectly for his relationship with Helen.  Though, perhaps, even he has his secrets…   

The overall feel of the film is very easy to relax into and enjoy, yet it continues to have the twists and surprises of a well done rom-com, in the mystery of the miserable cheating boyfriend, or the journey of James’ and Helen’s developing relationship. The brilliance of the alternate universe is cleverly done too, as it rams home the message that even tiny, insignificant moments can change your life, though it’s debatable for Helen which life has changed for the worst.

In conclusion, for a film with adorable quirky British-isms and a cast of stars from before they were stars, this is a perfect weekend watch, and whilst it might not be the most thrilling or exciting of films, it’s certainly not lacking in easy humour and romance.