Far exceeds expectations.
This is the show at its best.
It led to an entire multi-universe, and it all started here.
Even today, it's still one of the best seasons of the Arrowverse
There's nothing particularly new about a superhero show, but Arrow exhibits a stylized ferocity that, in its initial hour at least, makes a positive enough impression.
Granted, it's all standard superhero stuff. But the action scenes are well-handled, the emotions and the characters mostly ring true, and the plot offers enough twists to keep you intrigued.
Arrow certainly looks polished (having David Nutter direct a pilot virtually insures that), but there's only so much action an hourlong drama can afford, and the characters necessary to sustain the series are, initially, strictly two-dimensional, even with the island as a go-to flashback.
This show is fantastic. Great character development, stunning action, just overall great. Even season 3 (potentially its worst season) was great, just very dark and one-dimensional. Every season has added characters, and kept me caring about their relationships with one another as they grow.
Agree with most of the negative reviews but I still watch this (& enjoy it, lazily) just because it's easy to get **** into the visual stylized darkness of the whole thing. A positive review said it's sort **** Anatomy (Shonda Rhimes type) in DC comic mode which is true. Also agree with another reviewer that they should drop all the island flashbacks. [ They are tedious (imv).] The depiction of individual self-doubt and weakness is kind of refreshing, even if in such a contrived context
Not great, but not terrible either. There isn't enough going on in Season 1 to justify it's 8.2 user score here. A lot of the time it seems as if the show wants to distance itself from the actual comic book character it's based on. He's called "The Hood" or "The Vigilante" instead of the Green Arrow, which is not only a better name, it's THE name. Imagine The Flash being called "the red blur" or "Red spandex guy". Not very catchy is it? I wish they would use more content from the comics and less drawn-out romance scenes that make even Smallville look more gritty.
dumber version of batman. just dumb and **** doesn't necessarily means bad. i am sure there are millions of fans out there. i just don't like it. the script. the acting. could be done a lot better.