Prom Queen (Web Series) (Review)

Prom Queen (Web Series)

http://www.promqueen.tv/

Sometimes at work, they let me review shit.

Sometimes they give me stuff to review that's way out of what I like.

They think I won't be able to review it, that I'm only good at horror and exploitation movies.

But I'm here to prove them wrong.

So they lay on me a DVD box set of an internet web series called Prom Queen. I've never heard of it.

I soon realize they've given me something at the opposite end of the horror spectrum.

A Disney-fied, Lonely Girl15 internet 90210 melodrama.

[cue Darth Vader voice from Ep. III]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suffice it to say, I watched the entire thing despite ripping my eyeballs.

So on to the review!

Simple Plot-o-Matic

The core plot of Prom Queen revolves around a text message that was sent to character Ben, saying " u will kill the prom queen." This, of course, occurs as the prom approaches, and the drama begins to unfold.

Awesome Review O Matic

When your creating a web series, you really need to hold the user's attention for 2 minutes or less. If you don't, they're a click away from seeing some other related video that's shorter and probably more funnier

Every interweb user has ADD. It's just a given. The trick is to get them involved and care as much as humanely possible about what they're watching.

So you have to go with the old fashioned motto, hook - line and sinker. Set something up in the beginning, evolve it and have a cliffhanger at the end. So for 80 episodes of 90 secs each, that's what Prom Queen does.

But it just didn't have any good bait.

PQ had to have characters you want to see over and over again. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I couldn't care about any of these people. I couldn't tell the difference between Abercrombie and Fitch wearing white kid #1 and Van Dutch wearing white kid #5. Or the brunette from the other brunette.

Some characters were walking stereotypes. A token black guy, a blonde ditzy cheerleader and a pro feminist Hillary Clinton femme fatale.

And why is it that any of these 90210 ripoffs never ever show the kids actually in class. They're hanging out before school, then a scene at lunch, a scene at their locker and then a after school activity. I swear I saw kids in a class in a Degrassi episode. Hell Head of the Class's entire premise was to show kids in an actual class. And make it interesting.

All your high school stereotypes are here. And they're like all in their late 20s playing seniors in high school. Just like the original Beverly Hills 90210. Let's go through the list and compare them to their 90210 counterparts.

1.) Ben

Our "Brandon Walsh" cardboard cutout. Who is sending him these mysterious text messages telling him to kill the Prom Queen? He's our designated driver and unfortunately we have to follow him along as he Sherlocks this mystery.

2.) Sadie

Our "Andrea Zuckerman" cardboard cutout. She's got the Hilary spunk and a Clark Kent reporting mentality. She's cool becomes she's not trying to be cool. Wow. That's so cool.

3.) Chad

Our "Steve Sanders" cardboard cutout. He plays soccer. Seriously soccer??!?!

4.) Nikki

Our "Donna Martin" cardboard cutout. Our bitchy, blonde cheerleader type who wants to be prom queen. You can see a sex tape in her future real soon.

5.) Lauren

Our "Kelly Taylor" cardboard cutout. You know the one with mommy issues.

6.) Jill

Our "Mrs. Walsh" cardboard cutout but more delusional and freakin nuts!

7.) Danica

Our "Brenda" cardboard cutout. She's British so she can be the outsider and make observations on these crazy Americans. She's our resident web cam girl.

8.) Courtney

Our Melrose Place cardboad cutout. Oooooh what's her mysterious secret she's hiding? Psssst it's porn.

9.) Curtis

Our "David Silver" cardboard cutout. He's like the guy in American Beauty but without the floating bag.

10.) Josh

Our "Dylan McKay" cardboard cutout. He's got people after him, totally gruffy and tough but without the sideburns.

11.) Brett

Token Black Guy. Nuff said.

Everybody's got issues, everybody changes relationships every 10 minutes or in this case every 30 secs. Like an episode of Lost, we learn more about the characters and their past until we get too the ultimate climax of the 8 part prom conclusion.

And we get Shyamalan-ed at the end.

It's an exercise in viral marketing and The Hills branding. All the tweeners will love this stuff. Generation Y won't be able to get enough and this is internet entertainment for the milleninal masses.

Prom Queen isn't overly terrible, definitely watchable and unique in its MySpace short burst capacity. It's nicely compact in podcast form and that's why it can be addicting. I'll admit, I have a few video podcasts and web series I follow as well.

Web drama is still in its infancy so expect more of shows like Prom Queen to hit the web soon. Or gasp! on network TV (thanks alot Quarterlife). So if a web show can go from the internet to TV, anything is possible.

Could a horror web series be in the works? Now that's what I'm talking about.

Categories: 90210, prom queen, prom queen web series