Kevin Bacon; centre of the universe, connected to everybody. I’ll watch anything with his name slapped on it. After all, he has made some great stuff in his time: Footloose, Flatliners, Apollo 13, X-Men: First Class, Crazy Stupid Love.
This could go on for a while. So it’s no surprise that his latest TV show, The Following (which aired back in April), is definitely one to watch.
But that hasn’t stopped him. In his time in prison, Carroll has built an entire cult of followers, using the work of Edgar Allen Poe as a sort of religion, and has planned an entire operation in order to create a sequel to Hardy’s book, which they shall both write together as the story unfolds with its many twists and turns.
Aside from its fantastic plot, it also boasts a great cast. Shawn Ashmore (Best known for his role as Iceman in the X-Men films) plays Mike Weston, a younger member of the FBI who looks up to Hardy. Weston will probably end up being one of your favourite characters. He is great to watch, and has a lot of confidence. His chemistry with Kevin Bacon is fantastic. Speaking of whom, the main man himself doesn’t do a bad job either. Bacon has always been a great actor, but here, he lets his acting chops shine as he portrays a broken man, hunting down the one thing that ever gave his life purpose. Great stuff.
Now let’s talk special features. The DVD is packed with very intriguing stuff, including a featurette revolving around Kevin Williamson, the creator of the show, and how he came to make it. The featurette delves deep into the characters of Hardy and Carroll, and includes interviews with cast members Bacon, Ashmore, Zea and Purefoy among others. At one point, Natalie Zea mentions that Williamson said that the show was originally to be a movie, and it makes me ponder how it would’ve worked as a feature film. Another fun thing to learn is that Kevin Bacon was initially considered for Carroll instead of Hardy, but when the two actors met, the roles just switched. There are plenty other featurettes, focusing on the themes, sets and characters of the show, as well as loads of deleted scenes, most of which are pointless and it’s not hard to see why they were taken out.
The Following is a riveting show, and will make an excellent present for the TV buff in your family this Christmas!
The Following is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray (UK)