jbsl Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Well saw Outlander on DVD and had very looooooowwwww expectations and it was actually decent. I am not as good as Colin at reviews so Spaceships Alien Dragons Vikings fighting, death, destruction like I said was not expecting too much but it was pretty good. Give it a try Colin and you can give it a proper review![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 love Sc fi, but one set in the past? by the writer of Underworld, mmm, will order it from BB Online and move it to the top of the list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmeishmael Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Thanks jbsl, and you too Colin . I will check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 love Sc fi, but one set in the past? by the writer of Underworld, mmm Yeah that is what I thought, very low expectations but turned out to be decent. Decent not Academy Award winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I liked this flick though it's not great, but worth a watch it kind of came out of nowhere for me. Aliens in the "iron age" who would of thunk it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 The weakest aspect of Outlander is the same plot twists that make it unique. We have seen much of this plot before. It is Beowolf meets Aliens. It is a science fantasy of ancient warriors battling horrific demons. It is Road Warrior leads a backward tribe against evil incarnate. There is some predictable man versus man sub-plots, but by and large Outlander is man versus mean and cruel nature. Except for one twist; the hero and the monster are from an incredibly advanced space traveling civilization and the setting is Norway in 709 AD. But this is no lovable monster, like Sean Connery as the dragon in sweet Dragonheart. This is a loathsome space predator with teeth and tail like Sigourney Weaver’s ugly foe. This twist weakens the movie the most. While some of the plot twists are good, many are unexplained. We don’t know how the monster came to earth. A trap for the monster fails, but we don’t know how it can escape. A monster is killed by falling into the water – except it can swim. The hero loses his plasma blaster, but instead of going back for it, he gets some metal from his ship to make an unwieldy sword. The flashbacks to his previous life don’t work. A child follows him around like the feral one in Road Warrior, except that nothing is done with this sub-plot. Not only is the aggressive heir apparent suddenly not jealous of the beautiful princess, but he never leads the way he could. A sudden change to the monster’s point of view about ¾ of the way into the movie is annoying. So too is the summing up voice over narration at the end. Although dark, like many movies relying too much on CGI, initially there is a good use of color, but this devolves to over-splattering of gore. These are classic director’s mistakes. Writer/director Howard McCain wrote the screenplay for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009). He has not directed much and it shows. McCain does not know how to get the most out of the script and his actors. Ron Perelman is engaging in Guillermo del Toro’s wonderful Hellboy movies. He has ½ a dozen movies coming out. John Hurt is equally powerful in a dozen roles, including the Hellboy movies and V for Vendetta. He too has ½ a dozen movies coming out. They both give excellent supporting roles in this movie, with the limited dialogues they have. Lead actor James Caviezel followed up strong performances in I am David and Mel Gibson’s controversial The Passion of the Christ, with the charming and hardly moving tale of Bobby Jones, the legendary golfer. Caviezel’s character loses his family, ship, plasma blaster, and friend - almost loses his girl - but Caviezel never unleashes his dogs of war. Unlike Daniel Day Lewis, William Hurt, Jeremy Irons and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, he still does not have the dialogue or scene to turn his stoic, implacable reserve into the emotional outburst of raw acting talent that super-charges his career and saves this movie. Neither does Caviezel have the body, like Vin Diesel in XXX, Daniel Craig in the latest Bond or Brad Pit in Troy, to create a sheer physical presence. Wanna watch dragon slayers? I wouldn’t give this one a pass. I am sucker for a three-four dollar sci-fi rental. But I would rather have Angelina Jolie tempt me as the naked golden goddess in the classic tale Beowolf. (Hell, anything with her in it since Gia is worth a rental and a pause here and there!) Or see Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey in the futuristic Reign of Fire. Better yet. I could see the first installments of Aliens or Predator again. That is spectacular sci-fi monster fighting at its best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 I think the Dragon thing was on the ship with them. I would have to watch it again to be sure but what made the ship crash? The Dragon thing? I thought the Dragon thing was "mortally wounded" before it fell into the water drowning. I thought his blaster washed downriver. I understand making the spears for the other warriors so they would have a small chance to cover your back. The sword was just plain Hollywood Hero needs a impressive weapon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just_Strummin Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Sorry, but this movie has not and will not make my to watch list. I've seen snippets while on cable every once in a while and NOTHING warranted me watching it entirely. Two hours of my life I wouldn't be able to get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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