Okay, so GMA 7 launched their all-new (And by all-new, I mean suspiciously familiar-looking) show Alyas Robin Hood last night (September 19). GMA 7 has denied basing the series on the wildly popular television series Arrow by The CW, but until the launch of the pilot episode, that really was up to debate.
READ THIS: Dingdong Dantes on ‘Alyas Robin Hood’ Controversy
Now that we’ve been introduced to the plot and cast of “Alyas Robin Hood,” we can finally give some honest feedback. Is it any good? Is it bad? Most importantly, is it in fact an “Arrow” rip-off?
Photo via GMA 7
Plot: Dingdong Dantes becomes Alyas Robin Hood
So the episode opens up with what appears to be a refugee camp. It is quickly revealed that the inhabitants of the camp are starving to death, and have been denied a large supply of rice donated by Japan. (Why the Philippines needs rice imported is anyone’s guess.) Their rally is interrupted when a truck drives through the camp, just as the private army overseeing the inhabitants is given the order to shoot-to-kill the populace. The driver of the truck is revealed to be a hooded figure armed with a custom-made, collapsible bow. This “Robin Hood” figure takes down the private army and breaks the truck open, giving the starving people their rice.
Without spoiling everything else, the rest of the episode proceeds with a backstory on how the man in the hood (Dingdong Dantes) rose up to become “Alyas Robin Hood.”
The Good: The CW’s Arrow vs Alyas Robin Hood — rip off?
Well here’s the good news: Alyas Robin Hood is not a rip-off of “Arrow.” The plot is entirely different. The character himself is entirely different. So yes, it is an all-original story. The conflict — social injustice and corruption — is very realistic. The average viewer can definitely relate to the oppression portrayed in the film. So far, it seems like Dantes’ character was completely inspired by Robin Hood from reading all the lore on the bandits of Nottingham Forest, and it’s easy to believe that he could be a figure a child would aspire to be.
One thing that caught me off-guard was that the episode was surprisingly brutal. “Alyas Robin Hood” did not shy away from dragging a live body on the streets with a motorbike, or forcing a bully to eat a dead cat. That may turn some people off, but I appreciate it. Real life is gritty. It’s brutal. This portrays reality well.
The strongest point to me, has to be Christopher De Leon’s performance. The guy’s versatile. He knows what he’s doing, and he shows just the right facial expressions and emotions to sell his role as the distraught father society steps on. I buy his performance, and that actually makes it difficult to accept he may not be a series regular.
I also appreciate the central ideal the series establishes: Newton’s Third Law, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s fun how they apply this concept into every aspect of human life. Surprisingly, “Alyas Robin Hood” effectively demonstrates the causality of human actions.
Dantes’ collapsible bow is also a nice touch. It’s definitely an original weapon I haven’t seen before.
The Bad: Room for improvement in special effects
For all its strong points however, the show’s biggest weakness is that it feels half-baked.
For example, remember how I said I appreciated the show’s grittiness? Well I did. But when you make a bully eat a dead cat, you show it. You don’t cut away. I mean you already went through the trouble of showing the maggots and gore on TV, so why not go through with the whole thing? Or if that’s too graphic for family TV, why not just improve the blood effects on their T-shirts, to make it look like a dead cat was shoved down the actor’s throat?
Second, I feel like the special effects were on a bit of a budget. And no, I’m not comparing it to Arrow. I’m talking about the fact he’s man in a fitted hoodie, wearing electric tape on his gloves. It feels way too cheap to be a cool superhero costume. The collapsible bow is also a good concept, but honestly, it looks like a piece of PVC pipe. It breaks my immersion. And don’t tell me to expect it. “Encantadia” and “Mulawin“ might not be realistic by international standards either, but I see the effort put into the effects and set design. And Jesus, the camerawork in these action sequences is terrible.
WATCH VIDEO: “Alyas Robinhood : Ang bagong tagapangtanggol ng nangangailangan” Trailer via verified GMA7 YouTube Channel
That clip where Dantes shoots at the soldiers in quick succession? That’s literally how it appears in the episode.
And third: Seriously, what kind of people — who are aware that they are committing evil — gloat about being evil? NO! That’s exactly why I get tired of Philippine dramanovellas. Why is it so hard for TV shows to humanize villains? I understand that TV stations want to spread good values and fight against criminal activity. But in the real world, villains can be loved. They don’t do evil acts because they want to be evil. They commit evil acts because they legitimately believe they have to.
This is especially important for “Alyas Robin Hood,” as Dantes will be fighting the criminal underworld. As a fan of organized crime in TV, I will be pissed if they use that same formula. The fact is: media is only as entertaining as the villain. So far, the villains I’ve seen are poorly written, to say the least.
The Verdict: GMA 7 got some things right in Alyas Robin Hood
So is it worth a watch? Despite my negative views outweighing the positives, I’d say yes. I’d watch the next few episodes. Personally, I think it’s far too early to judge whether it’s a good or bad series. They did get some things right, and it is surprisingly original… which goes against what everyone originally believed. We still haven’t been introduced to the main antagonist of the show, and the odds are, the origin story isn’t complete yet. We’ll probably see more of young “Pepe” for the next few episodes.
Again, I’ll reiterate. Contrary to popular belief, “Alyas Robin Hood” ISN’T “Arrow“ (I actually feel like the plot is a lot closer to Netflix’s “Daredevil” minus the blindness). GMA did make a mistake by making Dantes wear a green hoodie, since that hurt the show’s face value. Thankfully, they seem to be changing the dull green attire with a brown hooded vest and gray satchel. They should have done that from the start.
But is it a masterpiece? No. It’s worth a watch for you to decide on your own. I know I’ll have to keep an eye on the next few episodes. I can’t scrutinize what I don’t watch. It has the potential to be good, I’ll give it that.
But I’m begging you, GMA. Fix your props, fix your camerawork, and fix your villains. I’m open to the idea of becoming a regular viewer, but I’m not sold on the show just yet.