Directing and editing: snappy and fast-moving with excellent use of the scenic location. Lighting conveys the proper mood. Tension is maintained in crucial scenes. *
Story: generally fun and well-paced, but with two reservations: (1) McGarrett's "I knew you'd come for me" to Miller (Andrew Duggan) during the climactic fight scene is too melodramatic; (2)Those of us who've been in the Coast Guard or dealt with ships have a hard time accepting McGarrett crawling around in the void spaces of the Arcturus without any oxygen-breathing apparatus. Void spaces of ships are notorious gas-traps and many men have died in them. 1/2*
Acting: generally quite good. Khigh Dhiegh, of course, excels as Wo Fat. Other guest cast, such as Andrew Duggan and Leslie Nielsen, are well-cast. Tim O'Kelley as Dan Williams is too eager, yet also too stiff. As an actor, O'Kelley lacks the power to stand up to the dominating and intense Jack Lord. It is easy to see why Leonard Freeman went looking for another Dan Williams. Nancy Kwan, as the hippie college graduate student, comes off too chic and not radical enough. 1/2*
Music: at times a bit too 1960s by the standards of the 1990s but it must be judged as part of the milieu of the story. In that light, it is entirely appropriate. Morton Stevens was nominated for an Emmy for the Hawaii Five-O theme, one of the most recognizable of television themes. *
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