Web Review Gives 'Cold Front' The Thumbs-Up

See Also: 'Cold Front' Episode Guide

The second advance review for 'Cold Front' has appeared online, praising the Enterprise producers for following up the temporal cold war plotline successfully.

"The creators of Enterprise seem to have it in mind to create a kind of X-Files-like 'mythology' that they can go back to and build off of occasionally during the course of the series — which is an excellent idea," wrote Cinescape's Chris Wyatt. "Think of how much less rambling and pointless Voyager's middle seasons would have been if only they had a more continuous core storyline at their backbone. Kudos to the Enterprise writing staff for learning from the past and employing the technique early on."

Wyatt said that this approach should entice viewers to the series. "It's got a pretty cool plot, which is likely to encourage some of the hardcore Trek fans who've been complaining of weak stories recently. Also, unlike most of the series to date, a casual viewer who's vaguely familiar with the show's premise could very well be drawn into the tale and be interested in coming back for more."

Despite the strong storyline, the episode suffered from a few problems, particularly in regards to the fight scenes. "Awkward action choreography makes the hand-to-hand combat scenes, of which there are many, seem stilted and a little silly," Wyatt wrote. "This choreography isn't helped by bad screen choices. It's difficult to say what those bad choices were. It could be that the camera movement isn't intense enough, or that the editing isn't crisp enough, or even that something in the director's pacing isn't up to snuff — but no matter what it is, something is wrong."

Overall, the episode merited a B plus grade. "The problems in the episode do not overwhelm the value and the mystery in the story," the review said. "'Cold Front' comes off as a very watchable hour of television - something that’s been relatively hard to find on the airwaves of late."

The full analysis, which also includes a synopsis of the episode, can be found here at Cinescape.

Aint it Cool News reviewer Hercules said tonight's episode would be the "Best Enterprise Yet!"

The review states that 'Cold Front' is "Even better than the pilot." The worst thing about the episode: "After tonight, no new Enterprise until Jan. 23, 2002!"

Hercules described the best things about the episode. "Just about everything. The economical but striking teaser. The brief but extremely deft use of Mayweather, Reed, Phlox and Sato. The hilarious way the alien captain Fraddock groans when Archer announces he's "eager to make contact with other species." The fantastic dilemma afforded Archer. [...] The Suliban’s dramatic escape. The episode's fabulous final shot, guarnteed to leave fans salivating!"

In the full review the episode is awarded a four star 'better than most motion pictures' rating.

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