'From Dusk Till Dawn' Season 1 Episode 1 Reviews: Robert Rodriguez Pilot Gains Positive Response From Critics Of The Film

"From Dusk Till Dawn" premieres tonight at 9pm on the El Rey Network, a brand new series based on the Robert Rodriguez directed film. The show centers along the Mexico-US border where bank robber Seth Gecko (D.J. Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard ‘Richie” Gecko (Zane Holtz) shoot their way south after a bank heist in Abilene, Texas. The 10-episode series takes place over the course of one night, following the brothers as they try to evade a pair of Texas rangers, Earl McGraw (Don Johnson) and Freddie Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia).

Along the way, Seth and Richie encounter former pastor, Jacob Fuller (Robert Patrick) and his family. The Geckos take them hostage and steal their RV to cross the border. Chaos ensues when the group detours to a strip club populated by vampires. With the law, the undead and some of Mexico’s most hardened criminals on their trail, the group must fight until dawn to get out alive. The series also stars Eiza Gonzalez in her U.S. television debut in the iconic role of Santanico Pandemonium that helped launch Salma Hayek's career in Hollywood. Director Robert Rodriguez describes Gonzalez as "magnetic" in her starring role.

The pilot episode was screened at SXSW 2014 in Austin where the cast also held its premiere. Critics have mostly reacted favorable to the adaptation as it's a faithful take on the film, but opens up the world that was established for more storylines. "The original movie was somewhat schizophrenic - the first half crime flick and the second half vampire movie - the pilot only really deals with the former, with brief glimpses into Mesoamerican mythology the only suggestions that something supernatural is afoot," writes Chris Tilly for IGN. "The performances are largely good, with Johnson a particular standout as the world-weary Earl. Cotrona makes a handsome Seth Gecko but lacks the Clooney charisma that made the despicable character so likeable in the movie. Conversely, Holtz is a better actor than Quentin Tarantino, and so psycho Richie is that much more convincing this time around."

"From Dusk Till Dawn" was an over-the-top movie that achieved a cult following with time. Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times reveals that the campy aspect has translated to the show. "The show is still very much invested in cheap thrils, but the characters, the sympathetic ones, are rounded enough so that you feel for them a little when things threaten to go or go bad. It has more of a moral center," he writes. "It's probably enough to say that if you like this sort of thing, this is just the sort of thing you'll like. (If the tautology fits, wear it.) Rodriguez knows how this machine works as well as anyone alive." The Hollywood Reporter was a little more harsh with its review saying, "The ultimate wisdom of pulling this story back out of the vault, though, remains to be seen." The THR critic Allison Keene also adds, "Assuming the first season follows the model set up by the original film, there's plenty for the next nine episodes to explore, even if the first episode did drag on the setup."