"Revolution" Premiere

After watching the pilot for the new J.J. Abrams show, “Revolution,” I would describe it as “Lord of the Rings” meets “Hunger Games.”  Taking place it a world where the power has been out for 15 years, it is yet another in a long line of apocalyptic post 9/11 shows that have premiered since 2001.

At the show’s outset, we see the power go out—everything from electricity to car engines to batteries— and the lead character’s father says it will “never come back on.”  The show picks up a decade-and-a-half later and the world has devolved into a rural society reminiscent of premodern Europe before centralized governments emerged.  Militias rule and people are afraid to venture a few blocks from their homes.

After a militia kills her father when they come to arrest him, Charlie, who carries a bow a la Katniss Everdeen from “Hunger Games,” sets out to fulfill his dying wish and find her uncle. She needs him to free her brother, who was taken after her father was killed.  The militias wanted her father and are still looking for her uncle because they might have knowledge of what caused the blackout.  Along with her father’s girlfriend and a close friend of his, they leave the shire—excuse me—neighborhood—on a quest to find the uncle.

The pilot has some exciting action sequences and features an intriguing premise and an engaging mystery.  “Revolution” gets off to a strong start, but so did similar shows such as the short-lived “Flash Forward” and “The Event.”  Only time will tell if this serialized drama can maintain the audience’s interest.