Omega Online

When I saw the first trailers for this show I was looking very forward to it. Like a lot of people, I was disappointed, but it should be noted that the show stumbles out of the gate but improves as it progresses.

If you've yet to watch Omega, here's what you need to know. The acting is bad. I don't mean bad for this type of series, this acting would be bad for a soap opera. The military girl in a tank top is one of the worst actresses I have ever seen and *SPOILERS* she's wisely killed off early. I don't know where they found these actors, but obviously they didn't have the budget to pay people who can actually act! The lead character (Jon) has a cool look, but is not much better than the tank top girl. Everyone else is forgettable, but the character called Darcy feels pretty real.

This isn't the show it appears to be in the trailers. Once I realized that this isn't a big sci-fi series, I started to like it a lot more. I was expecting big alien battles, but it becomes something that is much different and slower. This is pretty cool, but I wish the marketing had reflected this instead of setting up the wrong expectations.

The story is pretty cool. There are regular people and military looking for a safe zone in a very empty, abandoned USA. I feel like I'm following right there with them, and I'm curious to see where they will end up.

People are killed off, all the time! This is either a pro or con, but I think it's a cool idea. Kind of like Game of Thrones. The people who you think are heroes and will find a way out of crazy situations just die. I hope this continues.

The camera work is sometimes as bad as the acting. The worst moments are when camera and acting are both bad, as another review said, "unwatchable".

I love the show for what it could have been and what it tries to be, but I hate it for some of the little things that bring it down. It's like there was this cool stuff on paper but without the money to make it work. Bad acting exists in even the biggest movies, but here it almost kills the show. If you're not a fan of small scale sci-fi, I don't think you will be able to get beyond the acting.

I just viewed Omega in its entirety after dismissing the series following the pilot episode many months ago. I wish I'd followed the weekly discussions and episodes because the latter half of this series contains content that's a rarity for YT and Machinima, a real attempt at dramatic storytelling.

Omega is flawed, there's no doubt about that. It's apparent that the budget was far lower than what this kind of alien sci-fi series calls for, though the production values and talents rank far ahead of what you would see on SyFy. The acting, aside from a couple performers, is barely passable, and the better actors are stuck in supporting roles for some reason. The visual effects are inconsistent and go from being fantastic Hollywood level quality to average and redundant. The writing feels rushed and our characters are not well developed until halfway through the series. Yes, the first several episodes of Omega are convoluted and somewhat boring, but they give way to fantastic pay off.

Episodes 5-10 of Omega present one of the most interesting and risky moves in episodic television. These episodes bring some shocking deaths and revelations, and though still not handled with absolute grace, they are ambitious, rather well acted, and very well presented. The visuals are great (pay special attention to an old church) and the plot evokes real emotion.

Despite its flaws, Omega is a very special series to me. A highly recommended watch, though you might not believe the praise upon viewing the first few episodes. My only advice is to stick with the show until it finds its footing, as is the case with most new series!

I was a fan of Machinima programs, but they've gone downhill over the past two years. Prime restored hope, gave us greatness like Halo: FUD and Blood and Chrome. I was equally excited by Omega when it was announced, but it didn't live up to expectations.

To make this simple, I am going to list the pros and cons below.

Pros

-Unique take on alien invasion -Some cool action sequences (note a very cool scene in Episode 4, the most recent release at the time this review was written) -Location variety (feels a lot like Walking Dead) -Some good visual effects moments for a low budget show. Some of the visual effects sequences are much better than what we get on SyFy -Sense of realism following small bands of survivors

Cons

-Acting. UNFORGIVABLY BAD. A couple of the actors are passable, but they play very small roles. The best ones play characters named Dustin and Darcy, but they're barely on screen! The military commander and Jon were casting mistakes that, for me, kill key moments in every episode -Atrocious camera work. It's hand-held, which is fine and works with movies like the Bourne series, but this is just bad camera work top to bottom. -Dialogue. In fairness, this is mostly attributed to the horrible acting. -Makeup effects. Some of these moments are OK, but a lot of it isn't well executed.

At the end of the day, this could have been a very unique and interesting low budget series. The storyline is pretty interesting as a concept, but it's almost impossible to give plot the attention it deserves because of how poorly it's performed. When you're cringing during a scene because of some bad acting, you forget about the important information being given.

I've followed the filmmakers behind Omega since 2011 with Halo: Faith. They have done some great things but Omega is not one of them even with many good moments.

Binged on all 10 episodes last night so here are my thoughts.

The acting in this show except for a few characters is terrible. The story feels rushed through the first four episodes before slowing down and allowing us to explore the characters instead of filling it with dumb action. I read an interview with the director as he's from my home town and he said something about how they needed action in each opening minute and clearly that guideline didn't work.

Machinima seems to give their audience no credit. We're not a bunch of dumb kids, we can understand complex stories. Why are all Machinima shows so simple and childish? Omega, Halo FUD, The CLAN, Good Cops, Game Over. This isn't stuff that's as good as it could be.

Just look at the stuff the people behind Omega made before and after it. Why is Machinima forcing talented people to produce lame stuff? I'm ranting but anyone who knows Machinima would agree.

Episodes 1-4: 4/10 Episodes 5-10: 8/10 Overall: 7/10

I love discovering a new scifi/fantasy show to explore. I love it especially when I can see the potential that could develop once the actor sand writers settle into the characters and plot lines. What I hate is: Shocking preliminary voice-over scene-setting, horrible acting, non- existent sets, appalling camera work and did I mention horrible acting? It bears repeating. I couldn't even last all the way through the first episode. In a word....Terribad.

As part of a very large internet gaming community I am always very pleased to be one of the first to discover and recommend a new show. This is one I will be warning people away from.