the phone

the phone
"The Phone," a new reality show premiering tonight on MTV, is a treasure hunt dressed up in the clothes of an action film — a clue leads to a puzzle, which yields to a clue, which leads to a puzzle, which leads to a clue, which leads to a test, which leads to a prize. While not a million miles away from shows like "The Mole" or "The Amazing Race," it is more insistently cinematic: a phony reality meant to look like a real film.

In tonight’s opener, the superimposed narrative concerns a "mad bomber" the players must locate and stop; the city of Seattle is the game board. (The title refers to the cellphone by which the four players receive the instructions — from Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan as the Operator — that propel them through the game.) It’s good fun and exciting as intended.,