A supernatural mystery set in New Orleans that ends up being disappointingly flavorless
Watch: http://spiritstheseries.com or
http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritstheseries2009
Below: Episode 13
http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritstheseries2009
Below: Episode 13
Writer/Directors: Dave Weber, Duane Prefume
Starring: Haley Finnegan, Marel Medina, Vern Parker
48 episodes, run time approx. 156 minutes
Starring: Haley Finnegan, Marel Medina, Vern Parker
48 episodes, run time approx. 156 minutes
Residents of New Orleans bill their town as the most haunted city in America, believing that there are ghost spirits watching over the city and occasionally attempting to interact with people. Given the city's longstanding link to voodoo culture and the well-known fact that all of the city's dead must be entombed aboveground, the idea of New Orleans being a place infested with ghost spirits seems natural, if of course you're inclined to believe in the possibility of ghost spirits at all.
It's within that premise that we first meet Ray Carter, a New Orleans native who believes that spirits have been communicating with him but isn't sure what to do about it. Ray contacts Hailey, a recent college graduate living in Dallas, claiming to be receiving an order from Hailey's late boyfriend Michael, who died during Hurricane Katrina. Hailey is plunged into confusion and fear. As she wonders whether or not Ray can be trusted, Hailey decides that she must head to New Orleans, along with her best friend Joey, to search for the truth.
Hailey is super-cute, with a constant effervescent smile. But that's not really a good thing here. This girl who is haunted by the death of her boyfriend can’t stop smiling. Haley Finnegan, the actress playing Hailey, has the right name for the role but the wrong personality - she's better and more believable in a developing romance with Joey than she is as somebody searching for answers to a tragic mystery.
The biggest problem with Spirits is that it just doesn't make good enough use out of its New Orleans location. The show seems to want to be an ode to its beloved city, but by trying to paint this rosy picture of the city, they leave out so much of what really endears New Orleans to so many. Not a single video in the series takes place at night, so you only get this sanitized daytime version of New Orleans, and it lacks the character that so many people love.
There isn't enough elaboration as the series goes on as to how New Orleans came to be this hotbed of ghost stories and supernatural belief, and how this dynamic is different now from how it was pre-Katrina. New Orleans is Spirits' best asset, but it's also ultimately underutilized. And an ending that I found to be totally ridiculous means that this version of New Orleans isn't yet safe to visit.
It's within that premise that we first meet Ray Carter, a New Orleans native who believes that spirits have been communicating with him but isn't sure what to do about it. Ray contacts Hailey, a recent college graduate living in Dallas, claiming to be receiving an order from Hailey's late boyfriend Michael, who died during Hurricane Katrina. Hailey is plunged into confusion and fear. As she wonders whether or not Ray can be trusted, Hailey decides that she must head to New Orleans, along with her best friend Joey, to search for the truth.
Hailey is super-cute, with a constant effervescent smile. But that's not really a good thing here. This girl who is haunted by the death of her boyfriend can’t stop smiling. Haley Finnegan, the actress playing Hailey, has the right name for the role but the wrong personality - she's better and more believable in a developing romance with Joey than she is as somebody searching for answers to a tragic mystery.
The biggest problem with Spirits is that it just doesn't make good enough use out of its New Orleans location. The show seems to want to be an ode to its beloved city, but by trying to paint this rosy picture of the city, they leave out so much of what really endears New Orleans to so many. Not a single video in the series takes place at night, so you only get this sanitized daytime version of New Orleans, and it lacks the character that so many people love.
There isn't enough elaboration as the series goes on as to how New Orleans came to be this hotbed of ghost stories and supernatural belief, and how this dynamic is different now from how it was pre-Katrina. New Orleans is Spirits' best asset, but it's also ultimately underutilized. And an ending that I found to be totally ridiculous means that this version of New Orleans isn't yet safe to visit.
0 comments:
Post a Comment