Jolie RobersonSciFi Saturday - Sands of Oblivion
December 21st 2008 03:01
It doesn't happen often for me, but I found myself enjoying a SciFi Saturday movie on the SciFi channel, which is normally the hiccup point for a direct-to-video science fiction, fantasy, or horror movie that isn't totally bad, but didn't earn a theatrical release. The movie in question is Sands of Oblivion, which is about the real Ten Commandments being found on a lost movie set that held an imprisoned Egyptian God, who looks like Anubis, but ain't, and who seems rather ticked off now and takes it out on the expedition.
Heck, Freemasons are at the core of the plot, and it has to be a fun take on Ancient Egypt and the fascination with it that flooded the world with the modern discovery of the PYramids and Valley of the Kings.
Yeah, I know, weird plot, but cool, too, in that "This would make an awesome role-playing game scenario" using something like GURPS, Alternity, d20 Modern, or what not. So, while odd, the premise holds its own nicely and doesn't come off badly, at all. In fact, if the special effects would have been improved, with some of the writing tightened up a bit, this movie could have done okay in general release, if the budget came in low enough. Heck, it had a Stargate feel, at some points, without the awesome score and the solid performances by Kurt Russell and James Spader.
But, that brings me to the cast, two of whom will be familiar to fans of Firefly, Chuck too, for one of them. I'm, of course, talking about Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin, whose chemistry made for some of the best scenes in this otherwise moderately entertaining movie. Speaking of bright spots in the movie, the brief flare that is George Kennedy is also a nice point, as one of the old producers from the original 1923 movie, the Ten Commandments, on whose abandoned set the expedition finds themselves. The only other casting of note is pretty boy Baywatch and Mutant X alumnus, Victor Webster, as one corner of Morena's triangular love interest, as Baldwin plays her husband, divorce in transit, and Dan Castellaneta, who plays Cecil B. DeMille, as well as Jennifer Aniston's father, John, as a retired military man and old Hollywood production friend of Kennedy's character.
All in all, the movie is more than watchable, with a modest level of mysticism, biblical horror and monsters, and an ancient curse that could destroy the new world. It is interesting to note that Adam Baldwin is not playing a tough as nails combat type, but, instead, an academic archaeologist, as is Morena Baccarin, and they both do a fairly good job of it.
So, we have a direct-to-video that has, at its core, a solid group of actors, a modestly good script, and a mix of good and bad special effects that, for once, is better than the reputation of "SciFi Saturday" usually holds for a movie. Plus, we get to see further proof that the cast from Firefly was, is, so damn good with one and other, that they could brief some life into what might have been an otherwise stale movie.
Oh, yeah, the ex-army pal of Webster's character, a guy named Buford, is down right hilarious.
All in all, I found myself enjoying a couple hours of SciFi channel programming, on a Saturday, which, during the holiday programming flatline, was a rather nice thing.
Heck, Freemasons are at the core of the plot, and it has to be a fun take on Ancient Egypt and the fascination with it that flooded the world with the modern discovery of the PYramids and Valley of the Kings.
Yeah, I know, weird plot, but cool, too, in that "This would make an awesome role-playing game scenario" using something like GURPS, Alternity, d20 Modern, or what not. So, while odd, the premise holds its own nicely and doesn't come off badly, at all. In fact, if the special effects would have been improved, with some of the writing tightened up a bit, this movie could have done okay in general release, if the budget came in low enough. Heck, it had a Stargate feel, at some points, without the awesome score and the solid performances by Kurt Russell and James Spader.
But, that brings me to the cast, two of whom will be familiar to fans of Firefly, Chuck too, for one of them. I'm, of course, talking about Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin, whose chemistry made for some of the best scenes in this otherwise moderately entertaining movie. Speaking of bright spots in the movie, the brief flare that is George Kennedy is also a nice point, as one of the old producers from the original 1923 movie, the Ten Commandments, on whose abandoned set the expedition finds themselves. The only other casting of note is pretty boy Baywatch and Mutant X alumnus, Victor Webster, as one corner of Morena's triangular love interest, as Baldwin plays her husband, divorce in transit, and Dan Castellaneta, who plays Cecil B. DeMille, as well as Jennifer Aniston's father, John, as a retired military man and old Hollywood production friend of Kennedy's character.
All in all, the movie is more than watchable, with a modest level of mysticism, biblical horror and monsters, and an ancient curse that could destroy the new world. It is interesting to note that Adam Baldwin is not playing a tough as nails combat type, but, instead, an academic archaeologist, as is Morena Baccarin, and they both do a fairly good job of it.
So, we have a direct-to-video that has, at its core, a solid group of actors, a modestly good script, and a mix of good and bad special effects that, for once, is better than the reputation of "SciFi Saturday" usually holds for a movie. Plus, we get to see further proof that the cast from Firefly was, is, so damn good with one and other, that they could brief some life into what might have been an otherwise stale movie.
Oh, yeah, the ex-army pal of Webster's character, a guy named Buford, is down right hilarious.
All in all, I found myself enjoying a couple hours of SciFi channel programming, on a Saturday, which, during the holiday programming flatline, was a rather nice thing.
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