Based on DC Comics, Green Arrow superhero comic book series, Arrow has been reinvented for a modern day audience for the first time. After being marooned for five years on a remote island, billionaire Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns home with a mysterious agenda and a lethal set of new skills that he uses in a war on crime in this hard-hitting action series.
After suffering unimaginable ordeals on the island, the Oliver returns to Starling City a new man — determined to right the wrongs of his father and sworn to bring justice to those who’ve corrupted his city. But Oliver finds his crusade complicated by his friends and family who are all affected by his return.
When presumed-dead billionaire playboy Oliver returns home to Starling City after five years stranded on a remote island in the Pacific, he hides the ways the experience has changed him. As he reconnects with those closest to him, including his sister, Thea (Willa Holland), Oliver appears to be the same wealthy, carefree bachelor they’ve always known. At night, flanked by his devoted friend, Diggle (David Ramsey), Oliver uses his secret persona — that of a vigilante — to right societal wrongs and transform the city to its former glory.
The action scenes are crisp and effective. Arrow starts out with grit and has an edgy quality that keeps you interested. The plot contains plenty of room for mystery and the dialogue/acting is pretty good. It makes no difference if you are a Green Arrow fan or not, this show is about enjoying a unique action hero.
I like the way the producers/writers filled in Oliver’s 5-year absence while he was shipwrecked a little at a time. Susanna Thompson (Oliver’s mother), has a character who is suitably deep and challenging for her. Ramsey as John Diggle is prickly, distrusting and just cynical enough. The show gets a little moralistic, but that may serve as a caution to the intended audience to mitigate the violence.
Character to watch: Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the series.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?