SYNOPSIS: “Outlander” begins when a space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan (James Caviezel) – and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all.

REVIEW: Hmmm, interesting, a combination of futuristic sci-fi and Iron Age epic in one package. It‘s not very strong in either individually but the combination was actually pretty smooth. To be honest, I was expecting a low budget production with a sub par plot but I was delighted to see the opposite. It’s not a great movie, but it is better than I expected it to be. It is a good action flick that has a little of everything: the sci-fi, alien aspect, the rustic, primitive world of Vikings, man vs. monster battle, a dab of a love story, and the pressure of being an outsider in a foreign society. This flick could easily remind you of Beowulf or Planet of the Apes. But where Apes was more thought provoking, symbolic, and trying to make a statement, this one is more simplistic . . . we must kill the beast before it kills us all. Sometimes keeping it simple is better or at least more entertaining.

The movie starts in space as the outlander is about to crash land on our planet Earth. It is loud and attention grabbing with pretty good special effects. It is a high tech ship with high tech aliens. One of which is a human being type alien named Kainan (James Caviezel) and the other is a slightly similar but much smaller version of the monster from Cloverfield, a Moorwen. The battle between these two has now reached the Viking land of Norway, around 700 A.D. Kainan tries to fit in the Viking village all the while trying to warn them of the dangers of this Moorwen. Let’s just say that a lot of hunting ensues from both fronts of this war. Mr. Caviezel is a good actor and he always does good work. This somber character is right up his alley. Another well cast performer is Sophia Myles as Freya, the King’s daughter. I remember her best from the first Underworld, the blonde vampire, Kate Beckinsale’s rival. In this picture, she very much looked the part. Speaking of the King, Rothgar is played by John Hurt who did a good job but is not very convincing as a Viking King. It was good to see Ron Perlman in regular skin tone as opposed to fire engine red. He plays Gunnar, the leader of a neighboring village. All in all, the performances were okay but this film’s focus is on the story and the action that it brings. I’ve noticed that Mr. Caviezel seems to get beat up a lot in his movies; poor guy.

The overall look and feel of the movie was well done. Again, I thought it was going to be cheap, but it really wasn’t. Nice and appropriate sceneries, good and not too elaborate costumes, the weaponry, the high tech gadgets, and the village itself contributed to the effectiveness of the story. Howard McCain co-wrote and directed this piece. Being his first major motion picture, I’d say he is off to a good start. Considering the lack of hoopla for this movie, it’s not a bad choice at the theater.

Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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