Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Behold the Power of Z
It's been a while since it debuted, but last night I was able to watch the final chapter in what is probably the greatest science-fiction saga of my generation. No, I'm not talking about the Matrix Revolutions; I'm referring to the Disney Channel's own Zenon: Z3.



Some of the international Otakus may have no idea what I'm referring to, but anyone who grew up with the Disney Channel knows exactly what I mean. These movies, corny as they may be sometimes, are thoroughly entertaining, especially to their target audience. The first film was made in a time when the Disney Channel didn't make TV movies, and when there was very little original programming on the network. Due in part to Zenon's success (and other films like Brink, or Smart House) the channel was able to start a series of original tv movies, something that continues five years later.

Oddly enough, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is only one of two Disney Channel original movies that have spawned sequels. The other, Horse Sense, had a sequel, but it sucked and we shouldn't discuss it. However, Zenon the Zequel was just as engaging as the original, even though Zenon's best friend Nebula had to be recast. It had everything the first film did, including a very catchy song of it's own, "Galaxy Girl," which works as an excellent companion piece to "Zoom Zoom Zoom," the fun pop tune from the original.

So needless to say, my expectations were high for a third installment. Admittedly, a lot of time had passed since the first film. Kirsten Storms, the actress who plays Zenon, was probably in her early 20's. Could a movie about an older Zenon really keep my interest like the previous two entries in the series had?

Zenon: Z3 is a mixed blessing. While much of it keeps the same magic that was present in the first two films, new additions and casting changes make this a slightly different film than it's predecessors. My biggest complaints involve the recasting of Proto Zoa, and the total absence of her parents in this movie.

Also, Raven Simone (Nebula from the first film) returns to reprise the role she started. Sadly she is there in such a minor way that her appearances feel a lot more like cameos than anything else. Her scenes were completely unneccessary. A new African-American character, Cassie, has much more screen time and a more important role in story. I suspect that Raven wasn't able to do the entire filming, and Nebula's scenes were rewritten for the new character of Cassie. Still, Cassie is a nice character, and makes for a good counterpoint to the always-brash Margie.

Dasha, Zenon's new adopted cousin is another big addition to the cast. Much of the story revolves around her conflicts with Zenon. It takes a lot away from the main plot, dealing with Zenon's new romantic interests and strange happenings on the moon. The fact that Dasha looks exactly like a young Zenon is annoying to me, since it would have been a good opportunity to add some diversity to the cast.

The entire film takes place on the Moon and on Earth; unless I missed something in the first few minutes there was a complete lack of Zenon's space station! The space station had served as the main backdrop for the previous two films. It's like doing an episode of Happy Days away from Arnold's Diner. Even if the characters are there, it still doesn't feel the same.

All in all, the complaints are pretty minor. On a positive note the movie contains much more action than any other Zenon movie. As a result, there are many more special effects. It's interesting to see how far the special effects have evolved since the first one.

The story is fairly solid; having seen the Chronicles of Riddick the night before I tried to compare the two, but Z3 kicks Riddick's butt in just about every regard. A zillion dollar budget isn't neccessary to tell a solid story, especially when the movie has a heart to it. That's something you can't really duplicate, and why I feel a lot of science-fiction movies suck, including the latest Star Wars trilogy. First and foremost, the story is about the characters, and not fancy effects or fight scenes.

So I highly recommend this series of films. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Proto Zoa songs to download...
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