Knight Rider ( ナイトライダー )
NBC/Universal Pictures, 2008
Directed by Steve Shill (Law & Order, Dexter)
Based upon characters created by Glen A. Larson (Battlestar Galactica, Magnum P.I)
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rated TV-PG for violence, mature situations and mild language.
Cast
Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur
Deanna Russo (random voices in Porco Rosso and Whisper of the Heart) as Sarah Graiman
Val Kilmer (rumored to be David Lee Roth in The Dirt) as Knight Industries Three Thousand a.k.a. KITT
Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Jungle Julia in Death Proof) as Carrie Rivai
Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly in X2: X-Men United, Dr. Stegman in Kingdom Hospital) as Charles Graiman
Greg Ellis (Amador in 24, Stonefire in Heavy Gear) as Welther
Kevin Dunigan as Smoke
Jack Yang as Cross
Wayne Kasserman as Dylan Fass
Chris Mulkey as Sheriff Ramsey
Susan Gibney as Jennifer Traceur
David Hasselhoff (Germany still loves him) as Michael Knight
Synopsis
When unknown assailants invade engineering genius Charles Graiman's home in search of top secret information, Graiman's latest creation goes online. A heavily modified version of a Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500KR, Knight Industries Three Thousand - a.k.a. KITT - storms out of the house to retrieve Graiman's daughter Sarah and protect her on their way to rendezvous with Mike Traceur, a former Army Ranger who also happens to be Sarah's ex-boyfriend. When Mike and Sarah are reunited, they take KITT with them in search of Charles.
Lowdown
For the past few months since photos of the new KITT were posted online, many fans were quick to criticize this new movie. Majority of the rants were from hardcore fans of the old series who believe KITT should always be a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Now that the movie just aired on TV, I'm happy to say that the Knight Rider is not as bad as expected.
Story-wise, there isn't much to expect. It's more like a two-hour Ford commercial. It would've been okay to have just some beaters on the road, but to have KITT weave through a canyon road and pass through a Ford Fusion and a Volvo S40 while being chased by a Ford Edge is just ridiculous. As for the characters, they seem generic and random. And David Hasselhoff's cameo appearance doesn't really do much other than develop Mike's character being the estranged son of Michael Knight.
Like the original KITT, the new one voiced by Val Kilmer provides some comic relief in the movie. He is, however, not as funny as his predecessor, as he has a more serious tone. As for the car itself, KITT is bulletproof like his predecessor, but that's only if he's online. (Otherwise, when KITT's offline, he's just an ordinary Mustang.) Yes, he looks ricey on his high speed mode, but it's not as bad as the original's Super Pursuit Mode.
The new movie sucks compared to the original series. But you have to admit that after going through three disastrous spinoffs (Knight Rider 2000, Knight Rider 2010 and Team Knight Rider), this one is actually a sigh of relief. Perhaps this will get better if and when NBC expands this into a full-blown series.
Rating: C+
Links
NBC's Official Knight Rider Homepage
Reference
The Internet Movie Database