[ad_1]
REVIEW: October 12, 2002.
It was one of Indonesia’s darkest days. The evening when the “gentle island” of Bali lost its innocence, as 202 people (mainly tourists from more than 20 countries) were killed when the blasts from two bombs ripped through the packed Kuta bars of Paddy’s Pub and the Sari Club. Two hundred others were injured.
Twenty years on and a four-part Australian series aims to take viewers back to that traumatic event and its aftermath, as authorities from both Indonesia and Australia attempted to not only work out who was responsible for the deadly attack, but also bring them to justice.
READ MORE:
* New Amsterdam: Why it’s hard to say goodbye to the best US medical drama since ER
* The Last of Us: Is this the best-ever TV series based on a video game?
* New drama Bali 2002 revisits terrorist bombings in holiday hot spot
* Netflix’s That ’90s Show, Neon’s The Last of Us, Disney+’s Alaska Daily among January’s must-see TV
Created by a trio of screenwriters whose eclectic credits range from Wentworth and Catching Milat to the original Heartbreak High and Bananas and Pyjamas, the four-part Bali 2002 (which begins screening tonight with a double-episode on TVNZ 1 from 8.10pm, as well as being available to stream on TVNZ+) takes the noughties portmanteau movie approach (think Crash, Babel and 21 Grams), initially focusing on disparate duos and groups of tourists from both the UK and Oz (as well as a local couple), before bringing them together for that fateful night.
There’s honeymooning husband and wife Dan (Paul Michael Ayre) and Polly Miller (Bridgerton’s brilliant Claudia Jessie), revisiting the place that first brought them together. Melbourne-based best-mates Nicole McClean (Elizabeth Cullen) and Natalie Goold (Sophie Forrest) are desperate to make the most of two weeks of drinking, dancing and shopping, while Jason McCartney (Sean Keenan) and his fellow AFL footballers attempt to brush off the remnants of another disappointing season.
Supplied
Hanabeth Luke (Saskia Archer), Nicole McLean (Elizabeth Cullen), Natalie Goold (Sophia Forrest) and Ni Luh Erniati-(Sri Ayu Jati Kartika) are among the characters focused on in Bali 2002.
But while the creators do a good job of bringing to life the colourful sights, sounds – and even evoke the smells – of their setting and make judicious use of archival footage to enhance the atmosphere in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the drama itself feels a little clunky.
The “terrorists” are portrayed in the style of a ‘90s Hollywood action movie (one-dimensionally, virtually always in shadow and underscored by music that screams that they are ne’er-do-wells), while each of our “heroic” pairs are left with one in much worse shape than the other.
Supplied
Melbourne-based best-mates Nicole McClean (Elizabeth Cullen) and Natalie Goold (Sophie Forrest) were desperate to make the most of two weeks of drinking, dancing and shopping in Bali, but their plans are derailed in the most shocking way in Bali 2002.
And although Jessie is once again a compelling presence, her character does seem rather underwritten. Likewise, those hoping to see headliners Richard Roxburgh and Rachel Griffiths are left with only a tantalising cameo and disappointment respectively in the opening hour, although the former definitely looks set to play a major role in the episodes to come.
Twenty years might not be too soon to relive this catastrophe, but despite an impressive cast, this lacks the quality it truly deserves.
Bali 2002 debuts on TVNZ 1 tonight (Sunday, January 22) at 8.10pm. Episodes will also be available to stream on TVNZ+.
[ad_2]
Source link