Movie Review - What they did right and wrong

[PHOENIXZERO]

True, the car didn't have a personality, but neither did the original KITT in the first 4 or 5 episodes. So in that sense, they are staying true to to original series.

No turbo boost! I know, I was disappointed too. But just because we didn't see it doesn't it mean it isn't there. Again, look back to the original series: I don't remember seeing turbo boost in the first episode and the first several times we saw turbo boost, all it did was make the car go faster. It was sort of a super pursuit mode before KITT got super pursuit mode.

There were at least three uses of Turbo Boost (jumping style) in the pilot/Knight of the Phoenix alone.

[Longun]

I liked the show overall. Simple plot for the most part good casting and much better acting than the first

The parts I didn't like were:

The computer graphics were poor. I know it’s not a big budget but please those Vegas scenes could have been shot without the need for poor graphics just good old fashioned camera work. There was more than 1 time they did this too.

The fact the car didn't really do much. But at the same time in the original a new feature was added each week to fit what KITT would need it for even though there was no way they could know So there might be scope for more. but if memory serves in the first one KITT was shown to be bullet proof, able to use ski mode, oil slick and turbo boost.

[JJSoCrazy]

I got to agree with Mike on certain matter. Val Kilmer I thought sounded great in those Ford commercials but in the movie it sounded like he wasn't the car, it sounded more like a quick voiceover, however I liked the way the movie was and I am happy with it. I can't wait to see if it will be a series.

[KRAvengerII]

I'm not sure I like this new board- I went to submit my reply, and I erased it instead, forcing me to start over. Grrrr...
Anyway,I was hoping KITT could do more than zip to vegas and back in a day; I wonder what kind of stunts the mustang is capable of."Attack mode" would have been better if we actually saw KITT attack something. And I kind of like the morphing bit, except KITT only morphed into other mustangs. the bad guys were flying overhead in a chopper and they couldn't tell there was ANOTHER mustang tooling down the road at top speed? I liked the purple mustang- where can i get one? But that's another sticking out like a sore thumb moment- how many of THOSE do you see driving around?
As for Val Kilmer's voice not matching up- well, i didn't really notice it, I was more interested in the fact that he was doing the voice at all. I'm kind of on the fence about whether I want him to continue doing the voice if this goes to series.
As for the "Sappy moments." well, I kind of liked those, but the whole "Michael as Mike's father" left me with a lot of questions; like who Jennifer was, if not jennifer knight? Why did michael feel he had to send them away- who was he protecting them from? and I'm not clear that Michael knew he even HAD a son. If other people's math is right, Mike was born TWO years into Michael's mission- before he marries Stevie, or met jennifer knight, for that matter. and Michael's appearance at the funeral didn't really clear anything up. i expected Mike to be angrier at his dad than he was- instead, he seemed kind of bewildered about the whole thing. And why couldn't Michael stick around and get to know his son?
I did like the bit at the end with the cargo plane- one of the things i liked about TKR was that they would go anywhere in the world on missions, not just the continental U.S. But with this Black Hawk group out to find them, and it's mysterious leader, shouldn't that be more of a priority? Exactly WHAT did Charles ressurect the foundation for, anyway?

[JJSoCrazy]

Ohhh I forgot to mention

Devon Miles wasn't mentioned one damn bit, what a shame. Plus no desert scene at end(See my post about if brought to series for more)

[ianruk]

ok i have to say after watching this i was really disapointed

the only good thing i can say is the guy looks good as the new knight rider,he has this kind of edge to him that makes him look perfect for the role

after the whole debate about wether the car is any good im going to have to say NO
knight rider was always about the car of the future this doesnt have a life span of even 2 months

val kilmer did a good job as the voice of k.i.t.t better than the guy that backed out, if you think about how boring K.I.T.T was on the orginal Pilot of knight rider compared to how he became starting the second season,remember this was a pilot and just like the orignal they have to tell a story to start off with,(even though id still prefer the rginal voice of K.I.T.T..,but if i was to compare this to the orginal 1,theres no shadow of a doubt this 1 sucked monkey balls. the story wasnt gripping or even remotly exciting

but a good little thing they did is when he asked michael knight "will i ever see you again" and he replied "i hope so" opens up doors for the hoff to come back in the series if its picked up and who knows we might even see the 2 K.I.T.T's together (slim chance but hey you never know)

As for the series im not sure i like the way they kind of made it out to be 1 big story leading to different episodes hunting down the "main guy", knight rider was never like that ,knight rider was a different sotry and different things each week which made it work

i feel like making some good and bad points about the movie but im scared the bad will greatly out weight the good

Bad points:

* The car (not futuristic enough)

*The boring long series based on the purpose of finding "the guy"

*K.I.T.T with no turbo boost (sorry but kitt isnt kitt without turbo boost)

*Story didnt seem like knight rider (be honest it didnt)

good points:

*seeing the hoff

*Way they had refenerence to the old knight rider (even though they wasnt all that)


Overall crap pilot and crappy story hasnt got the "O I WANNA WATCH THAT AGAIN" feel at all once is enough ,

im sorry to say but i liked knight rider 2000 10000 times better than this

thats my view of this


1 DISAPOINTED KNIGHT RIDER FAN

[Kram061-1]

No turbo boost! I know, I was disappointed too. But just because we didn't see it doesn't it mean it isn't there. Again, look back to the original series: I don't remember seeing turbo boost in the first episode and the first several times we saw turbo boost, all it did was make the car go faster. It was sort of a super pursuit mode before KITT got super pursuit mode.

KITT drove on 2-wheels in the original pilot. Then he jumped in the demo derby race and then when he was stolen and was bringing the car thieves to jail, and then at the end through a tractor trailer, then over one.

I only know this because I popped in the DVD to watch the original pilot before I watched the new one.

[Milkman]

Well here are my opinions. Even though most of them have largely been said already, I will say it again...

• I loved the Trans-Am, but the Mustang is growing on me.
• I really don't think I like most of the morphing effects, although I have to wait to pass judgment on that. I DEFINITELY would have liked more mechanical things. Something cool may have been like instead of hiding the scanner via a morph effect, make it something that pops out of the hood, kind of like the old style sports car headlights (coincidentally like the Trans-Am had).
• I took the whole 2 women in the bed thing to be exactly what 1 or 2 others said. Just showing that he was a ladies man, just like his dad was.
• I wasn't too keen about the whole lesbian thing.
• KITT was getting hacked into, and KITT gave no proactive notification??? Only said something reactive once he was asked a question.
• I anticipate the boom microphone going away, and just being replaced with an ear piece (that goes inside the ear) that can also pick up voices.
• I wasn't too crazy about KITTs lack of personality, but I also remember the first Knight Rider and he didn't have much of one back then either.
• I liked the semi a lot, but I am not totally throwing out the idea of the plane. I think it could work, but I would have LOVED to see a semi too.
• I would have liked it if they mentioned Devon too.

[tlh0618]

It sounds like there may have been some interesting parts later on, but I turned the show off after the first half hour. I really enjoyed the original Knight Rider and was hoping to see something as good this time around. However, I have no interest in seeing a show where the hero is in bed with two women the first time we meet him, the police woman is a lesbian who picks up women and spends the night with them, and the invulnerable car is so concerned about not hurting anyone that it can be chased away by a villan who simply stands in the middle of a wide street and shoots bullets that don't harm the car at all. Hollywood has once again taken what could have been a great cinematic vehicle and tried to use it to force their liberal agenda on the American public.

NBC didnt have a rating on the show that I could find. But, I was sitting on the sofa with my 9 year old during the first 15 mins there was the hero in bed with 2 women, and next the naked lesbian in bed. I had to turn it off and watch something else. I did record it and watch it later in the night, and the show was pretty good, I just wish it could have been something my son would have enjoyed (he loves the mustang) without all the needless sex.

[diesel83]

My 5 year old loves the new K.I.T.T., but I can't say that show is appropriate for a child. The lurid and vulgar themes portrayed in the first few minutes of the show takes away from the original spirit of the show. I am outraged that Ford would allow swearing, callous murder and unconventional relationships in what should be a family show.

GM should take back the sponsorship and revamp these themes.

[kitt34]

This is a very good pilot, the special effects are wonderful, the car is cool (especially the SUV Ran into the car that was a great scene), the performances are great (especially davidson who should get an emmy nomination for his work on his supporting role).

[DaveandKim]

I enjoyed the movie, although all that seems to have changed are the faces. Disappointed at no mention of Devon and I would have liked more of Hasselhoff but I understand that the new series needs to establish the new characters.
I did think Kilmer was absolutely awful as KITT. William Daniels gave the 80s show some real personality but Kilmer had none at all. Maybe he's taking the role too seriously. Of course, as we all know, Kilmer didn't exactly have much time to prepare. After last night, I think Arnett would have been much better.
I was shocked to see they killed the kid in the hotel, perhaps a way of saying 'hey, this is 2008' and this is how we'll show it.
I hope NBC gives it a shot, we see Hasselhoff again and they find a new KITT voice or Kilmer really loosens up.

[Knight316]

True, the car didn't have a personality, but neither did the original KITT in the first 4 or 5 episodes. So in that sense, they are staying true to to original series.

While i agree that he definately developed more and more over the course of the series, kitt did have personality in the pilot. He got mad at michael for leaving his keys in the ingnition and allowing him to get stolen, he felt very concerned for michael at the end when he was hurt but still wanted to go after the bad guys, and my favorite part was when michael tells him he's as much fun as a divorce and he says \i want custody of me. I dont' think that kilmer gave him any emotion or personality and they really need to do something with his voice to make it sound more computery or something. it really does sound purely like a voiceover or narration as of now but that could've been because they only had a small amount of time to get him to revoice the entire thing from arnett. Another thing i wasn't crazy about was the theme...it started off good but then just went into some guitar solo that osunded nothing like the actual theme. WHat happened to the earlier version we heard in the two minute preview? That version sounded a lot better.

[goldbug]

I find it curious how all of a sudden the board has members with "Stranger" status going on and on about the threesome and lesbian scenes, which did not actually portray any sex instead of focusing on the actual story itself.

[Jeremy1973]

After watching this new Knight Rider /Ford commercial, I thought there were some positives as well as negatives, I will watch the new series if it comes out ,even though I hate the that the new kitt is a Mustang, the action was pretty good after the first hour .
I was starting to get really bored, angry, and impatient with this knew K.R. t.v. movie pilot through the first hour, I was losing what little interest I had in this movie( after the KITT Mustang was revealed), Because of the following reasons:
1.) As an original K.R. fan since childhood, I was pissed that the only "appearance" of the original KITT was very disapointing in that , the only parts of KITT that I noticed, were the KNIGHT liscense plate, and part of the Gull wing steering wheel, there was a tarp covering something that I assumed was the gutted frame and shell of KITT, but that didn't even show even a hint of the Trans Am's shape , It was as though Ford was too paranoid, worried, or egotistical ,to even let NBC show the highly recognizable Original Trans Am versions gutted shell or even old concept drawings laying around, or up on the walls of the shop, in this new Ford powered K.R. show.
I would have liked it if , at the end of this Movie they would have had Michael Knight drive off from the funeral in the Original KITT and have Mike drive off in the Mustang, it would be like saying goodbye to an old legend while welcoming the new one, But NOOOOOO! The stuffed shirts at Ford didn't have enough vision, or respect for us Original Knight Rider fans while filming this latest Ford COMMERCIAL.

2.) We allready know that the knew KITT is a Mustang, that being said; Why does the new KITT have to have all of the Ford Logos still attached to the shell? The Pontiac Trans AM Firebird didn't have all of the GMC/Pontiac firebird Logos plastered all over the original KITT.
I was trying to give the new show a chance and not judge it to harshly because of the Mustang abomination, but the FIRST HOUR seemed to be little more than a Ford commercial as I had feared it would be, Especially how they zoomed in on the Cobra emblem in Slow Mo several times, and on the Ford logo on the rear of the new KITT.
Yes we all know that the new vehicle is a Ford ,Us original fans don't need nor want the Ford Mustang logos slapping us in the face every scene, especially if you want us to continue to watch the show.

3.) The interior of the Mustang KITT , especially the dash and Voice Box. I found this was very boring and bland at best compaired to the Trans AM KITT's dash. In my opinion the CPU monitor /voice box, looked like an oversized I-Pod screen with a heart monitor , I didn't like the voice box at all , I thought that the keyboard popping emerging out of the dash was cool, but I found it to be less interesting than the fully voice operated Knight Industries Two Thousand.
Things I liked about the new K.R. t.v. movie;
1.) I liked New Kitt's sense of humor , especially when it asked Mike if he was a homosexual , I laughed my butt off on that one and that seemed to be the turning point from the boring first hour Ford commercial, and actually getting on with the Knight Rider Movie instead of the Ford Mustang movie.

2.) I liked the action scenes especially when Mike was Kicking some buttocks with his martial arts/combat skills.

3.) I also liked the Hoff appearance and the hint of future appearances, It would be nice to see the Mustang KITT w/ Mike, team up at least once with Michael Knight who would be driving the Trans AM KITT , to keep us Original fans happy and watching the new K.R. in the hopes of seeing the Knight Industries Two Thousand again.

[coleminer]

I have read all the post and have to agree with some of what was said.

I liked the storyline and plot of the movie. I don't even mind that we have a Mustang instead of a Trans Am and hay at least it wasn't a Mitsubishi like in the last movie and lets don't even remember him in the dash of the 57 Chevy.

Several have speculated as to a possible episode in which we would see both old KITT and new KITT together. Better go back to the TIVO and watch this movie again. The Break In Scene. The bad guys have flashlights and they are snooping in the garage where we first see the new KITT. What do you see before it. A blue License Plate KNIGHT, You see a black panel of some kind that says KNIGHT INDUSTRIES TWO THOUSAND and a old Engine on a stand. It is obvious that these are parts from our beloved old friend KITT of the 80's. So there will be no KITT and KITT Episodes unless they spend oodles of money and man hours putting him back together and for what? To be Outdated and to get his parts out of a Junk Yard? That would not be something they could explain easily. However. Why have these parts if not to retain his memory banks? Yet there is no signs of the former KITT in the new. Why is he so Stiff and Robotic and retain nothing of his old personality? This I do not like at all. I did see a bit of the old KITT in the new in that it had some ego. KITT in the first season had vanity. He boasted proudly of being the car of the future. Of Being the best and technically superior. This new KITT had no doubt without testing that he could do what he did. Manipulate through dual oncoming traffic in split second precision and such and he did it flawlessly. When asked if he were nuts his reply was "I don't think so." I just dont see the reason behind the brain drain. We should of been hearing KITT say. Hands Off Mike. and when he dropped the chip the old KITT would of used his ejection seat and taught him some manners. The Old KITT of course would of known of Michaels son and would have used this information to positively reinforce the new driver.

All In all. I liked the Morph though I would have liked to seen more Mechanics. I think KITTS Protective Shell should have been used under the Nanos so that if turned off the driver would still have some protection and the Nanos could protect it from being chemically nuteralized. I Definitly think a series without Turbo Boost will fail. I dont mind the plane as long as they also use the Semi in future shows cause lets face it. Having a KITT that can go around the Globe can make for some extrodinary episodes in the future. Add some personality to the computer and give us some Awesome Mechanics and Action and you will see a hit series again.

And one last thought. A KITT that can be computer Hacked in twenty minutes is not that Impressive. I think that should have been rethought in production. Is he Technically advanced or not? Upon realizing the threat he should of been able to just shut down his network without turning off the whole dang computer. Why couldnt he just go into Networking and disable his wireless antenae. That was total crap.

Anyway, Hope they will fix the mistakes and bring it back as a series. It would be nice to see it back on Television.

[Deus1138]

KITT was only hacked in 20 minutes because the bad guys had his design plans.

Any decent hacker could break into any system if they had the source code for the operating system and firewall.