After some intriguing trailers and quite a lot of build up in the current seasons of both "Flash" and "Arrow", CW finally unveiled the Legends of Tomorrow. The aforementioned trailers showed promise, and it looks like it's going to live up as the pilot was a strong opening entry in the series.
In terms of plot, it's pretty stock as the focus is on getting the team together. As the characters are already established, more focus is put on how they play off one another. There's some good banter and it looks like it's going to be an interesting team to follow.
There were some interesting dynamics on display. DC gives us their own "science bros" as Stein and Palmer get to chat a bit. There seems to be a bit of a J.D/Dr. Cox vibe as Palmer is revealed to be a student of Stein's, who the latter doesn't remember. The flirtation between Sara and Snart comes a little out of nowhere, but it kind of worked.
It was a shame to see the rooftop scene play out as differently as it did. Notably, Flash and Arrow aren't there (though Arrow does make a guest appearance along with Laurel's Black Canary in different scenes.) The vibe is still the same, so it's hardly a bust, but we do lose a lot of the great lines that were present in that initial teaser. Stein doesn't even get the chance to run down the roster the way he did, though admittedly that probably works better for a trailer and might not have flowed as well in an actual scene.
Oddly enough, not everyone is on board with the plan. Jackson, notably, has no interest in it. His initial objection probably makes the least sense, but it does give him an arc. It also makes for some conflict with Stein as the bond between the two isn't as strong as it initially appeared. It only gets worse when Stein drugs the kid and drags him along anyway.
Sara and Kendra also have their own reasons for being reluctant. Of course, they too get with the program, but the reasons they cite are a bit stronger.
Where "The Flash" tried to paint Captain Cold in a potentially more heroic light to better explain why he'd go along with this, I think that the angle the show took with him (as well as Heat Wave) works a lot better. Giving them an ulterior motive makes a lot more sense and it works as great plot fodder for future episodes.
In terms of tone, the show is well balanced. There's a solid dose of humor, and it does really thrive on putting a strong focus on being inspiring, but it handles the more serious elements well. Much like with Nick Fury, Rip Hunter isn't exactly the most forthcoming in his motives. It gives Darvill a chance to show off his acting chops, but it also causes some of the others to question what they're about to do.
As one would expect with a team of superheroes, there is some action, though not as much as you might think. The villain here is a bit on the thin side, but he's really just there to unite the heroes when they start to spiritually disperse. Everything is really good on the visual effects front, but seeing a more serious threat might have helped a bit. Beyond that, we get a bar fight. It's a tad superfluous, but it had an element of fun to it.
Oddly enough, the show's big bad doesn't get much of a showing. The threat he poses is shown in the opening scene as the world is in chaos, but beyond that, it amounts to a cameo. It's also odd that he's so excited about a nuke when he has all kinds of mystical artifacts that he could be using. It isn't the greatest cliffhanger, though it's hardly something to shrug off.
As hyped as I was for this, there's always that risk of something not living up. Thankfully, this does. It does have some setbacks, but they are things that exist in most pilots. This looks like it's going to be a fun ride and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
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