Some very Geeky Sci-Fi franchises gave us great surprises this past week in the world of cinema and TV.
Quantum Leap continues to limp along on nostalgia and the hope that something more interesting will happen then the kind of ‘meh’ episodes that have been given to us in yet another underwhelming continuation of an older franchise that was more fun and interesting the first time around. Quantum leap episode 5 ‘Salvation or Bust’ brings several ideas from the original series including a government branch investigating the project, a leap into another nationality, and a leap back to the 19th century which is well beyond the lifetime of the leaper.
One improvement in the morality of the show is that it has Dr. Ben Song really emphasizing and promoting non-violence, something that Sam Beckett did not do in the original series. He also amusingly gets the townsfolk to come together to save their town and stop the villians in a very A-Team type of way with Ben actually saying ‘I love it when a plan comes together.”
There was also a big reveal at the end of the episode that propelled the lackluster series with it’s first real ‘WOW’ moment that made me interested in where they might be going story wise. More on that at the end.
Quantum Leap airs on NBC which also airs ‘Young Rock’ about the younger years of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Season 3 is premiering on November 4, 2022. Just this last weekend the Rock premiered in his first appearance in the DCEU as the anti-hero Black Adam. The film unlike the last Quantum Leap episode was amusing and held my attention the whole way through.
Sam leaps lept 143 years into the past while Black Adam goes from 2600 BC to 2022.
While Ben was a pacifist who didn’t like violence Black Adam had a hero (Hawk-Man of the Justice Society of America) talking about how heros don’t kill people. He would save individuals Black Adam would through from great heights before they hit the ground.
It had the townsfolk of Kahndaq coming together to ward off Demons from the Legion of Hell with basically sticks. They reminded me of the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts which were more actually more menacing and deadly and fun to watch.
As Government folks try to interfere with the Quantum Leap project so do government agencies both good and bad try to interfere with Black Adam.
In Quantum Leap Ben tries to help the townsfolk regain freedom so that they can live out their lives in a town that lets them be themselves.
Black Adam both past and present tries to free the citizens of Kahndaq from tyrannical rule.
Quantum Leap has some mediocre side characters while Black Adam has The Atom Smasher (Ant-Man in the MCU), Cyclone (Storm in the MCU) and Dr. Fate (Dr. Strange in the MCU) from the Justice Society of America all playing a part to take down the nasty main villain.
Quantum Leap looked like a 1950’s western and not the old west. Black Adam looked like a comic book movie somewhere made in the middle east with lost of caves and rocks.
Black Adam like Quantum Leap also had a big reveal at the end of the movie that promises greater things to come. Another time travel show also gave us another great surprise. Doctor Who, unlike Quantum Leap, took the older series, revamped it and made it better then the original. I haven’t yet seen the end of Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor but I want to see what happens in the year of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary.
At the end of Quantum Leap ‘Salvation or Bust’, a man comes up to to Ben and says “I know who you are Ben Song. Stop following me.” Who is this other leaper? Is it a evil leaper? Before Ben can find out he leaps. WHOA! The show throw a life savor of a story line out to hook in fans who have been board with this show.
At the end of Black Adam, the organizer of the Suicide Squad Amanda Waller warns a defiant disgruntled Adam to never leave city of Kahnda or there will be trouble. Adam thinks there is no person on earth who is a match for him. Amanda tells him she knows people off planet. Nobody mentions Billy Batson. After that little threat the Dark Knight himself shows up and says ‘I’m Batman’. Actually no, the man of steel (again played Henry Cavill) himself really shows up and says to Black Adam “We need to have a talk”. WHOA!
And on Dr. Who this happen.
David Tennant Returns as the Doctor.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In