Sydney Fox is a university professor and black belt who globe-trots after lost, stolen and rumored to exist artifacts and antiquities. Professor Sydney Fox is head of the archeology department at Chicago University. She can inspire her students very well, but is often absent on short notice, unable to resist the call of the field, which is however tolerated because it can pay off big for the university's museum as she's a world-class relic hunter. Her scholarly brilliant English academic assistant, Nigel Bailey, has his reservations about being dragged along all over the world on most of her treasure hunts, but puts up with the risks and inconveniences of the guests out of a sense of duty and because of the appeal the athletic lady adventurer seems to have on most men in the series. The third permanent cast member is their office secretary, during most seasons vain airhead Claudia whose rich father is frightfully well-connected, notably with the chancellor, later the far more competent Karen Petrusky; both usually stay in college, minding things there and doing some research, booking etcetera, but on occasion also get to play a more active part, and in both cases tend to make use of their female charms too. While each episode is a treasure hunt on its own, some other characters recur twice or more, mainly rival relic hunters and/or personal acquaintances, such as Sydney's many former lovers, a secret agent and Nigel's brother. Yes, Relic Hunter is just an inferior Indiana Jones rip-off, but let's face it, there are very few truly original TV shows out there and if you're going to rip something off it might as well be the best. The show's formula may become a little repetitive after a while but it is good light entertainment, something that it's easy to dip in and out of, only seeing the occasional episode, which makes it superior to all those American TV series for which you need to invest hours of effort for very little return. Tia Carrere delivers a generally strong performance as Sydney and it is always good to see intelligent, in control, ass-kicking women on TV. Plus Relic Hunter has the jewel in it's crown of the bumbling stereotype that is Nigel. For anyone who finds ridiculous American stereotypes of the way English people are, Nigel is a must, he's hilarious, only sometimes intentionally, and the actor playing him is kind of cute. That was the nickname of that show between me and my friends. As the whole thing was based on that formula (strong woman – dull sidekick guy) and my mockery isn't coming from that formula inasmuch as its fulfillment ! <br/><br/>At the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s it was easy to notice the trend of making the heroes as heroines. At that time we witnessed a feminine copy of every manly hit show. To comprehend what I mean just look at the following titles and their time of appearance. For instance at movies : the famous "M" of James Bond's movies became finally a woman in (The Golden Eye), the killer machine at (Terminator)'s series became a woman in (Terminator 3 : The Rise of The Machines), and at the TV shows : (Xena Warrior Princess) as the feminine copy of (Hercules The Legendary Journeys), (Sheena) as the feminine copy of (Tarzan), (Alias) and (La Femme Nikita) as the feminine copies of (James Bond), (Crossing Jordan) as the feminine copy of (Quincy M.E.), so it would be so familiar to have (Relic Hunter) as the feminine copy of (Indiana Jones) ! <br/><br/>For sure I have no problem with that, even when they spoofed (Charlie's Angels) in Pamela Anderson's (V.I.P) at the same time ! But all the problems in the world would come from the level of making the show or should I say at this very situation : the terrible show !<br/><br/>Well, this is an average show which mustn't mean innately a bad one. However they didn't make anything perfect even in that frame of "average" and by its measures ! So the main character (Sydney Fox) had a lot of previous adventures as well as numerous enemies not to forget her very deep scientific experience !! Actually (Tia Carrere) is way young to be all of that, plus she didn't convince me as a history professor by her look, performance, and the funny scripts; at the first episode she was explaining the erotic African dance of marriage by dancing it for her students, and in the barbaric naked costumes too (If only my college was like this !). <br/><br/>(Carrere) tried her best to be sexy. She has an athletic body and a nice presence, so as long as she was little fatty and the camera wouldn't take her from her awful profile she was rightfully HOT. But she wasn't that fascinating star, lacking the sense of humor. Therefore they brought the fiery blonde (Tania Reichert) instead of the cute ugly (Lindy Booth) to compensate the diminution, inflame the atmosphere a bit, and to make us ablaze with her Anglo-Saxon effective beauty, so the clumsy forever jerk (Christien Anholt) as (Nigel Bailey) who was abashed all along because of seeing (Carrere) in inappropriate situations or inconvenient positions, now he got to suffer from that twice ! So it's not double the action.. It's double the sexiness or to be precise the slight sexiness ! <br/><br/>Speaking about (Anholt) I felt pity for him. This actor got a distinct charisma but they tired him out by keeping him as (Hugh Grant)'s look-alike, and that really bothered me a lot ! Is he a good actor with a unique talent ? or just a fine (Grant)'s imitator ?!! I think that this show is not the right place to find it out fairly because here all what has been wanted from him is being embarrassed whenever (Carrere) takes her clothes off in front of him suddenly !<br/><br/>So you'll not buy the performance because it was all just some light moments to entertain. OK. But what about the weird annoying red cinematography all the time all the episodes !! Why is that exactly ?! I think to make the whole image seem like an old document or an ancient paper (Since it's a show related to relics !), and maybe to give it a factor of uniqueness but to tell you the truth.. That was a factor of stupidity ! The adventures were some hubbub, small hubbub. Sometimes the few good ideas had been frustrated by that zero budget. It's more than clear through for instance the very poor art direction (backgrounds, décor, .. etc). Let alone the miserable wretched action scenes also. All of that made it at best as one simple comic book with modest quality and trivial enjoyment.<br/><br/>..Really how fair, objective and merciful I am, not to say that the only thing to watch here was (Carrere)'s brunette & (Reichert)'s blonde beauty !
Invelly replied
293 weeks ago