Four minutes, forty-eight seconds.

That's how long we have to wait before we get to see The Car in NBC's new two hour Knight Rider movie (aired Feburary 17, encore showing February 23 and available online at NBC.com). The producers seem to think that their audience doesn't care too much about sophisticated plot points and in-depth character development and would rather watch a flashy car driving around. They're absolutely right.

After three failed attempts to reboot the Knight Rider franchise (yes, this is the FIFTH incarnation) NBC mostly goes back to basics to tell the story of the love affair between a man and his automobile. The flashy car this time around is a tricked-out talking Mustang built using nano-technology which allows the car to change color, repair its own damage, and even morph into other configurations when our hero needs that extra boost of power. The car has access to military satellites, government databases, and even ATM security cameras. If this car wants to find you, it will.

The car gets plenty of screen-time, but we do have some strong humans to cheer for as well. The straight-forward plot goes something like this: Mike Traceur (Justin Bruening) is a former army ranger who now spends his life racing cars, sleeping around in threesomes, and trying to avoid thugs sent to collect a $90,000 gambling debt. His ex-sweetheart Sarah (Deanna Russo) shows up out of the blue and tells him she needs his help finding her missing father. In exchange, she'll pay off his losses. Talk about an offer he can't refuse.

Sarah's father Charles Graiman (Bruce Davison, the drippy senator from X-Men) built the original Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.). Yes, the same Trans Am driven by the Hoff; this show is very much a continuation of the original series, not a remake.  Now that Graiman has finished work on the Knight THREE Thousand Mustang (with the same convenient acronym K.I.T.T.) some mercenaries have been hired to steal the car's technology. Rounding out the cast is FBI agent Carrie Rivai (Sydney Tamilia Poitier) who, like Mike, enjoys sleeping with hot women. Her sexuality is treated very matter-of-factly, but it does seem odd that TWO of our main heroes are so openly casual about sex.

Bruening is extremely likable in the lead role, almost to a fault. It's hard to believe him as the reckless womanizer he's supposed to be early in the script. But he plays into the humor of the show very well: with all of KITT's remarkable abilities, what's the first thing that makes him smile? The voice-activated seat adjustments. Funny stuff. He and Russo fit together nicely as childhood sweethearts. In fact, the cast feels very comfortable all around. David Hasselhoff has a cameo at the end which feels a bit tacked-on, but it does provide a nice sentimental connection back to the original series.

The morphing car is a bit gimmicky but the visual effects are mostly seamless with a few beautifully shot driving sequences.

If there's a weak cylinder in the engine, it's probably the car itself. This is supposed to be the most advanced car ever created, yet based upon the stark dashboard most people would probably be more impressed driving around in a Prius. And we've seen most of KITT's surveillance capabilities on TV shows before. If Chloe from 24 had wheels, you'd pretty much have this new KITT. Val Kilmer provides the voice of the car, replacing the very talented Will Arnett who had to drop out at the last minute because of contractual conflicts. Unfortunately, between Kilmer's uneven delivery and some out-of-sync computer graphics, KITT sounds more like a commercial voice-over than a true character.

Overall, the movie does "feel" very much like Knight Rider. All of the elements are in place for the inevitable series which will follow, yet there is a sense that they're still holding back a bit. The original series worked so well because it embraced its own ridiculousness. It knew what it was supposed to do, winked its eye at the audience and then delivered some outrageous stuntwork. It was fun. This new show seems cautious, as if they're afraid of becoming silly and so it gives us the same kind of action sequences we might see on 24. When you have the most technology advanced car in the world, we expect a little more. Push the boundaries a bit, beef up the stunts, and we'll definitely be along for the ride.