Movie:
Ever
wondered what it would be like to work for that huge warehouse in which they
stored the Ark of the Covenant at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Sure you have, and so has this 2009 SyFy television series . . .
According to Warehouse 13 your job won’t involve a lot of dull
inventory-taking, lifting heavy objects or a dusty work environment, all of
which will leave you with respiratory and lower back problems later in life
with no proper medical benefits.
Nope, instead your job will be more like those of Mulder and Scully in
The X-Files.
You and your photogenic opposite sex partner will spend a lot of time
traveling to exotic locales such as, er, Washington D.C. where you will
track down and confiscate artifacts such as Edgar Allan Poe’s quilt or
Lucretia Borgia’s jewelry – all of which are imbued with supernatural
powers, usually of the malignant variety.
WORTH IT? Warehouse 13 boasts an intriguing premise – partly
dreamt up by one of the regular writers on Buffy – but never quite
delivers.
In fairness the show has some fun with “real-life” historical objects (after
all, there is no reason why they should feature Sylvia Plath’s
typewriter or a ray-gun developed by Tesla). But Warehouse 13 only
picks up in the last couple of episodes with the introduction of a regular
villain – all in time for the obligatory season finale cliffhanger.
Instead the show is mostly content with coasting along on the affable charm
of its leads. It isn’t bad and makes for a passable time waster if you’re
willing to forgive the show’s many X-Files-inspired
clichés. Ultimately it however never really engages in the way which a
superior show such as Fringe does
though.
RECOMMENDATION: There are better shows out there right now, but if
you’re happy with the likes of Sanctuary (a
similar SyFy show) then you’d probably be content with Warehouse 13
as well.
