When an incarcerated ex-cop is broken out of his cryo pod (because 2000) by his team, he wastes no time in getting back to work as an illegal arms dealer. What he wasn’t expecting was rookie cop Shawn McCormick who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and on the receiving end of a bullet to the head. But this is the year 2000 and in no time her memories have been extracted (and her final moments erased) and thanks to an advanced computer chip implanted in her head, she’s revived.
Smack bang in the middle of all of this is Knight Industries whose proposed new crime fighting car – the Knight 4000 – is almost complete but needs a certain someone familiar with the program to make the project come to fruition. Before long, Devon has tracked down Michael, now living in a wood cabin in the middle of nowhere and convinces him to come back one last time. He agrees, on one condition: he gets KITT back.
Unfortunately, KITT has been broken up and sold off. Unable to let his old buddy go, Michael manages to piece together his old logic board and get KITT back online, implanting him in his classic Chevvy. In no time Shawn comes onboard the team in an effort to track down the person who killed her, striking up a bond with KITT thanks to her implanted chip (which once belonged to the wise-cracking AI) and a new adventure begins.
Coming four years after the successful TV show’s final episode but set almost a decade ahead, we return to the world of Knight Industries, talking cars and most crucially, Michael Knight. Yet the world in 2000 is different, conventional guns have been outlawed and even the cops have to use sonic guns that stun rather than kill. Beyond that, this feels like very familiar territory, mostly in a good way. It’s great to see Michael again and see the chemistry between him and KITT (although it’s such a shame we don’t get to see the Pontiac) and the inclusion of Shawn as a possible new lead is exciting.
That said, this does have its problems. The Knight 4000 is horrible – a suped-up ’91 Dodge Stealth in bright red is no replacement for the iconic TransAm. Also, the legendary music is gone and while its replacement is brought to us by the inimitable Jan Hammer, the theme is used over and over again ad nauseam. The pacing and action is somewhat lacklustre too. If you’re expecting car chases, turbo boost and the like, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Knight Rider 2000 (despite being dethroned by fans as being non-canon following the rebooted 1998 and 2008 series) is a nice addition to the original show, albeit by no means the climactic finale that the original franchise deserved.
KNIGHT RIDER 2000 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: ALAN J. LEVI / SCREENPLAY: ROB HEDDON, GLEN A. LARSON / STARRING: DAVID HASSELHOFF, EDWARD MULHARE, SUSAN NORMAN, MITCH PILEGGI, CARMEN ARGENZIANO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
