Screenhead

What happens when you give Vikings science fiction weaponry and send them to do battle with a creature straight out of a horror flick?

Well…it probably wouldn’t actually look much like Outlander, but hey; at least they tried!

Seriously, though–as glib as my description sounds, it’s actually not too far off from the truth.  An alien, played almost inexplicably by former Jesus analogue Jim Caviezel, flees an interstellar war only to land on Earth.  He’s crash landed on the shores of Norway, circa, oh, seven hundred AD or so.  But he’s brought company along for the ride–a huge murderous alien called the Moorwen, who immediately begins tearing holy hell out of the immediate Norwegian area.  Thus, it’s left to our alien buddy to recruit some good old fashioned Norse help and go hunt up the Moorwen before it turns Scandinavia into the biggest all you can eat buffet on Earth.

First off, as science fiction-based action epics go, Outlander is both terribly predictable and yet at the same time not bad for it.  It’s a lot like, say, Beowulf or The 13th Warrior or any of a dozen other hack-and-slays just like this except with the added twist of having aliens involved.

Second, the plot additions do trend a bit toward the far-fetched.  I’m amply familiar with the panspermia theory–frankly, I think it’s a load–and so every time I see a movie that uses the plotline that Earth is just a seed colony of some alien race I find myselfscoffing contemptuously at the very idea.  However, this is a small point, and really won’t interfere with the movie itself.

The movie itself, meanwhile, is really quite fun.  They’ve added some really novel twists to it–like the Shields game–that definitely caught my attention.  I’ve seen my share of movies like this, and this might well be one of the best of the lot I’ve seen in some time.  They really did play up the “epic” side of this one, with some infighting and some outfighting and even just a little bit of the old political intrigue just to round things out.  It’s really not just “alien humanoid goes hunting up alien monstrosity”.  There’s quite a bit more to it than that.

Regrettably, the “sci-fi weaponry” I mentioned above will be in short supply, at least when it comes to doling them out to the Vikings.  You’ll get to see some of it in action, and it’s downright awesome, but frankly there’s not much of it involved here.  And that which is actually involved is only involved in the most roundabout of senses.  I’m perplexed as to how this giant, clearly military ship was only carrying ONE GUN.  And while I’m at it, what happened to alien boy’s clearly superior armor?  He took it off at the crash site and then just sort of forgot about it.  Was it carried away by animals?   In that sense, it’s somewhat of a disappointment but there’s still plenty of joy to be had here.  Thus, the disappointment is scarcely too graphic.

The Screenhead Ten Scale,therefore, gives this one a seven out of ten for being an engaging if flawed action thriller, that’s so very much like that which has come before it, and at the same time, offering some fresh new features that make it well worth watching.

Popularity: unranked [?]

As Samuel L. Jackson tries to destroy London, Jim Caviezel tries to stop him in the espionage thriller Blown directed by Martha Fiennes.

The film focuses on Will Matlock (Caviezel), a top MI5 operative whose standard investigation of a global corporation directs him to come across a forthcoming terrorist attack. Jackson plays Julian Lezard, the businessman who involves him in a high-stakes game of wits and deception.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Outlander trailer is mystical and magical with horrific visions, a tale of Vikings and aliens.

I posted the Outlander poster about a week ago here and now the trailer.  The film stars Jim Caviezel, John Hurt, and Ron Perlman.

Popularity: 1% [?]

They don’t make em like they used to. The 1960’s British TV series The Prisoner has to be one of the best shows ever created. Originally envisaged as a spy romp, the show became a very surreal series (in which a spy who quits is placed in an inescapable Village and given the options of either confessing or conforming, neither of which the spy, known as Number 6, agrees to), that explored the avenues of conditioning those in power attempt to enforce upon the individual. Its cult status was solidified by a remarkable final episode rich in symbolism and sparse in explanation, leaving viewers to argue over its meaning for decades.

But the news today is that British broadcaster ITV are all set to make a revived mini-series. Now, news of this has been trickling through the grapevine for a while, but it seems its main cast has been confirmed. Number 6 is going to be played by Jim Caviezel, who hasn’t really made waves since he played the brutalised Jesus in Mel Gibson’s torture-porn The Passion of Christ. And the real joy is the news that Ian McKellen will play the seemingly manager of the Village, Number 2. McKellen has called the new series “witty, intelligent, and disturbing”.

At first I was very dubious about a remake of The Prisoner. Firstly there were rumours that a US feature film was planned, with Christopher Nolan set to direct. While there has been no further news, that project is still in development. And even this new series could be a dilution of what made the original so great: its political and sociological awareness, its rich symbolism and narrative risk-taking, and its sense of action that was never excessive enough to be sensational. Yet, things are looking good so far. McKellen has confirmed that the show will reflect anxiety towards modern times, and act as “an enthralling commentary on modern culture”. Now, Caviezel wouldn’t be my first choice for Number 6. I would have liked to have seen Gary Oldman or David Thewlis play the lead role, as I felt they could recreate the intelligent rage that original actor/producer Patrick McGoohan had in spades. Or even Clive Owen, who was rumoured as Chris Nolan’s top choice, would have been good. However, Caviezel isn’t a bad choice. But McKellen is a perfect choice. He will certainly be able to manage the theatrical, manical laughter of the previous Number 2’s. What remains to be seen is…. who is Number 1?

The Prisoner will air in the UK in 2009. Be seeing you.

Popularity: 1% [?]