Customer Reviews

Hawaii Five-0: The First Season

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

To start off, Hawaii 5-0 has a stellar cast: Alex O'Loughlin, who is perfect as Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan is great as Danno, Daniel Dae Kim is wonderful as Chin Ho and Grace Park is excellent as Kono.

I was so excited about this show when I first heard about it, and it exceeded my expectations. What more could you want? It has the perfect blend of drama and humor, a brilliant cast who are not only talented but just as enjoyable to look at as the beautiful Hawaiian setting they are in - and the writing is smart, fun and witty.

I love the way CBS has been advertising the show as a "reboot", not a "remake", as so many people had been calling it. The whole story is new, the characters are new, and the writers are quickly letting you see the lives of the characters. You not only have an exciting case filled with lots of excitement and drama each week, but you are drawn into what is going on in the lives of the four characters and it leaves you wanting to know more about them and where they came from.

Hawaii 5-0 is sleek, sexy and exciting, and it is no wonder that it is the highest rated new drama on TV. I don't think it will take long before it is the highest rated drama on TV period.

Congratulations to Alex O'Loughlin for finally getting the success and recognition he deserves so much with this new show. I will be tuning in to watch each week - and then watching again after I have recorded it. Now I can't wait for the DVD to come out for the first season, and I hope it has lots of extras. Hawaii 5-0 is going to be on for many years to come, and I will be buying each new DVD as they come out.

No, this isn't the original show. If you compare the two and you are looking for the newer version to be a duplicate of the original show, you may be disappointed.

However, if you try to enjoy the new Five-O as a completely new show (with some similarities to the original), it's one of the most exciting new shows out there (IMHO) - along with Blue Bloods.

The scenery is great (plenty of nice shots of Hawaii, the cast works well together. I enjoy the banter between Danny and Steve. The plots have mostly been excellent and well executed. Looking forward to the DVD release of this new show.

Was very skeptical when I first heard about this TV series - mostly because no one can replace Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett or any of the other cast members from the original episodes. I couldn't imagine how they could replace Dano either or have a female cast member. But, after watching several episodes, I would rate this the best TV watching out there, 5 stars. The plots are great, interesting and intense and the acting is wonderful - I enjoy the relationship and humor between Dano and Steve McGarrett. I don't try to compare the old with the new - just enjoy watching it as a new TV series that is just good crime drama.

The thing about Hawaii Five-0, I think you either love it or hate it.

Now it isn't always perfect, and let's be honest, what show is - there'll always be episodes with weaker plots than others. And if you don't like explosions, gunfights, sunshine, bikinis and banter, this is probably not your show.

But even when you take away the pretty setting and the action Hawaii Five-0 still has a core that rings true. Because this show is all about family. The lenghts you'll go for your family, losing an old and acquiring a new and all versions of the term that excists. Ohana, as the Hawai'ians would say. It is the characters who carry the show.

Steve, who loses his father and tries to patch up his relationship with his sister.

Danny, who moves halfway across the world to be with his daughter.

And last but CERTAINLY *never* least, Chin and Kono, the pair of counsins, who will do and sacrifice everything for their family.

These four come together and find themselves thrown into their own kind of family, and this is where the show has its heart.

One thing I love about this show is that even though Steve is the main character with Danny at his side most of the time it never becomes the Steve McGarret Show or the Steve and Danno show. Chin and Kono are never reduced to 'lackeys' or 'helpers' of any kind. They have their own scenes, their own plot and they get to shine just as much as Steve and Danny. One could easily argue that some of the strongest scenes of the season were acted out by the amazing Grace Park and fantastic Daniel Dae Kim.

Another great thing is the team dynamic. It's not just Steve and Danny's partnership that sends sparks flying across the screen - it IS a huge reason for why I watch this show, but it is far from the only reason why I enjoy it as much as I do. The team together is amazing. They tease and they jibe and they got each other's back no matter what. Kono and Danny has an awesome chemistry and Chin doesn't hesitate to call Steve and Danny 'ladies' when they need to be called down to earth. It's rare to have four leads who just work no matter which constallation you put them in.

Enough about the main characters, because the regulars and guest stars definitely deserve a mention, too. Danny's daughter is made of adorable, his ex-wife is a brilliant character, McGarret's sister is made of awesome and Kamekona is just made of win. The show also really lets local actors shine. Again, no show is perfect and not each and every guest star is equally good, but they definitely hit more than they miss, in my opinion.

Now, if this kind of action packed, entertainment minded, doesn't-pretend-to-be-something-it's-not show is not your thing, fair enough. If you don't like actor X's portrayal of character X, okay then, we all have different tastes. What I'm saying is: This show may sometimes seem ridiculous (and seriously, which promos saying things like "It's not just hot - it's explosive" it's unavoidable) and some may call it a disgrace to the original (I wouldn't know, I wasn't born), but it does have a lot to offer, even besides the pretty scenery and action, and definitely deserves a chance.

Personally, I'm enjoying it. Every single week. In different amounts depending on the episode, perhaps, but I NEVER leave thinking 'okay, this was a waste of time'! To the very much contrary. I've become invested in the characters. I smile, I laugh, I worry. I obsess. I melt every time Steve makes those eyes (you know the ones), I shout at the screen when an episode ends in a cliffhanger. I rewatch my favorite clips, promos and YouTube videos multiple times. Hey, I even have an iTunes playlist with Hawaii Five-0 themed songs.

In conclusion: Brilliant acting, engaging characters and definitely worth giving a chance. If you don't like it, don't see what I see, hey, that's okay.

When I started watching this program, I intended to dislike it. This has got to be one of the few remakes (in film and television) that turned out well.

The old series was AWESOME! They shot it in Hawaii, back when the film had to be sent airmail back to LA to be shown on television. They hired Hawaiians, back when television was Caucasians only (with very few exceptions). Long before the over done buddy cop thing was all over television, they were doing it right. It was a serious program, with occasional funny parts.

The new series is very good. It is edited and paced for the FAR shorter attention spans of the modern audience. Like another good program NCIS, the crimes are secondary to the interaction between the characters. All the actors are very good, and it is a joy for me to watch the program. Danny's divorce is one malfunction after another, and you laugh because you are glad it isn't you. Chin Ho, is a very honorable man, who was accused of taking bribes, they couldn't find any proof, but that didn't stop his reputation from getting destroyed. Kono is not just a gorgeous woman and put there for window dressing, she is a inexperienced, but very intelligent woman who is more than capable of taking care of herself.... this is a rare thing on television! McGarrett is a very experienced SecOps soldier. He lacks subtlety, and tends to go at a problem head on, this drives Danny (who prefers to be quiet and subtle) nuts!

I also think it is funny that only in America can an Australian doing a very good American accent, plays a SEAL that was born in Hawaii... and the two 'Hawaiians' look suspiciously like Koreans! :)

There is very little about this series that I don't like. The new version of the theme is excellent, but they cut it too short. I hope they will have a full length version on the DVD set, as a extra.

The Blu Ray version of Hawaii 5-0 is only available currently from Best Buy. They somehow won exclusive rights to sell the Blue Ray version.

The show is amazing...I am not a regular TV show watcher. I normally watch TV shows for the first time on DVD but I have watched this show, every episode, from the beginning. Alex O'Loughlin is HOT and his role for Steve McGarrett is perfect! And the perfect complement to his character is Scott Caan's Danno. Their bantering and sarcasm back and forth is so enjoyable and elevates the show to a whole new level. I have never seen the original Hawaii Five-O episodes so I am not able to compare the new version with the old but I, for one, cannot wait for each week's episode and am anxiously waiting for the DVD seasons to be released. Aloha!

I wanted to wait to the end of the season to review the show. I mean, that seems only fair. That being said, Hawaii Five - O rocks!! I was a fan of the Jack Lord Hawaii Five-O, and wasn't sure what to expect, I'm glad I gave it a chance.

First, it's not fair to compare it to the old show, it's not the old show, but it's just as good. This works on so many levels.

The characters/casting are awesome. O'Loughlin does a nice job as McGarrett. It's not over the top, and he's making McGarrett his own. Scott Caan is wonderful as Danno. The chem. between Cann and O'Loughlin is a nice touch. It would have been to easy to have the two of them being buddy buddy all the time. They're the opposite ends of the same coin. They play off each other nicely. Kim does a nice job as Kelly. It was a risk to have Kono as a woman, but Park does a nice job of it. I also like how she can kick butt. All four of them play off each other nicely. I also love Taylor Wily as Kamekona. I also love Mark Dacascos as Wu Fat. I love how they give small nods to the old show. For fans of the old show, the guy who plays Duke is the son of Kam Fong, who played the original Chin Ho Kelly.A very nice touch.

The writing and scripts are awesome. There is just one small flaw to it. One of the eppys this season was one of the original stories from the origina 5-O, but it's not a big deal. The cliffhanger was awesome!

I can't say enough good things about this. If you can catch this on repeats this summer, I highly suggest it. When it comes to DVD, I'll be the first in line to get it.

Aloha!

Love this show, its the best new show of the season, if CBS knows whats good for them they will keep it going for many more years.

I am a H5-0 fan way back from the original. I'm one of those who've waited all these years for a modern version and now it's here! They're still finding their sea legs, but the show keeps getting better and better with each new episode. I'm a regular watcher, I pre-ordered the new show on DVD -- I just hope it comes out in Blu-ray! Good to see they're giving cameo roles to some of the original actors -- Al Harrington for instance. And the new characters are a trip, like the big guy who sells shave ice. And you can't find more gorgeous shots of Hawaii anywhere on TV. They are reaching for what counts: good story, good acting, good direction. My only beef -- and it's a BIG one -- is the music. They cut the theme song in half! In fact, more than half! And the scenes have what I call "generic moron music" droning away in the background instead of background music written -- as it was in the 70s-- for mainly winds, brass and percussion based on the theme song. Just to stuff another commercial in there? Come on!!! Oh yeah, and General Motors is having its revenge over Ford -- used to be in the original that all the good guys rode around in Ford cars and the GMs were driven by the baddies. Now that's all reversed! :-)