Review by CJ

Director:
David Nutter, David Barrett, Guy Bee, Vincent Misiano, Michael Schultz, John Behring, David Grossman, Ken Fink, John Dahl, Eagle Egilsson, Nick Copus, Wendey Stanzler, Glen Winter, Michael Offer

Starring:
Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Susanna Thompson, Willa Holland, Colin Salmon, Colin Donnell, Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne, John Barrowman, Byron Mann, Manu Bennett, Colton Haynes

Other notable appearances:
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Christie Laing, Michael Rowe, Jessica De Gouw, Seth Gabel, Patrick Sabongui, Janina Gavankar, Chin Han, J. August Richards

Running time:
42-45 minutes per episode

Number of episodes:
23

After being presumed dead, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Amell) returns from the island on which he was shipwrecked a vastly changed man. His struggle for survival trained him for his new goal — to protect his city from those who would taint it.

The first season of Arrow starts off well with Oliver returning to Starling City and readjusting to life. Flashbacks to his time stranded on the island unfold a great backstory throughout the season and show us how a spoilt, selfish billionaire becomes a man willing to kill or die for his city.

The acting throughout the first season of Arrow is a bit over the top at times but that isn’t restricted to one actor so it makes me think that’s a conscience decision from the creators. It is a story that is out there and over the top so it makes sense that the acting matches the overall feel of the show.

Green Arrow is a character I have loved since watching him fight for the little guy in Justice League Unlimited. Amell does a great job handling the different aspects of the character from the selfish playboy to the brooding protector.

My favourite character so far is Felicity Smoak. Felicity is portrayed by Rickards with a charm that moved her from a one-shot character to a recurring fixture in the Arrowverse. She is funny, at times awkward and down-to-earth.

Some of the characters can be quite trying to watch at times. Thea Queen often switches drastically between being understanding to difficult or compassionate and selfish. It could boil down to the fact that her character is a spoilt teenage heiress but it makes the character very unlikeable and grating.

Overall the plot is quite dark and overdramatic at time. While that can make it difficult to watch more than a few episodes in a single sitting, it doesn’t take away from the overall quality of the show.

Season one of Arrow is an enjoyable start to the Arrowverse which now includes The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. I would highly recommend the show to fans of Green Arrow, superheroes and slightly cheesy action television.

I can’t wait to see what the next season has in store for the emerald archer!

Rating:

“My name is Oliver Queen. For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal: survive. Now I will fulfil my father’s dying wish to use the list of names he left me and bring down those who are poisoning my city. To do this, I must become someone else. I must become something else. ”