User Reviews

Recap: Kainan is from a futuristic society that has mastered space travel and has conquered other worlds. But during a mission his ship suffers a malfunction and he crashes on Earth up in Scandinavia, right into the 8th century and the Viking era. With him he unknowingly brings a stow-away. A morween. Morweens are a hideous and blood thirsty monster that instantly goes on a rampage. Now Kainan must adapt to his new backwards technology and ally himself with the Vikings to bring this monster down.

Comments: Will not ever be mistaken for any kind of serious movie, but taken correctly it is all good fun. Or who could ever oppose the splendid combination of Sci-Fi monsters and spacecraft with Viking swords? The story is not unique or stellar in any kinds, it resembles a little of other movies depicting the Viking era like the 13th Warrior, but it works. A little predictable but enough to keep interest and to motivate the action.

Unfortunately the CGI and the special effects are uneven in quality. Most of the times it is quite good but at times it becomes cheesy, plastic and plain bad actually. Not the kind you would expect from a movie with a little higher ambition.

The cast is not bad at all. Jim Caviezel is good in the lead, but doesn't shine. Then veteran John Hurt impresses more but especially Ron Perlman is great as a Viking chieftain, he looks made for the part! Sophia Myles does well as the female lead but unfortunately her character falls back to the stereotypic, woman in need of rescue, after a strong beginning. I hope she gets more chances, she seem more than competent to handle the female lead in action movies.

7/10

I saw this here in my home town last night, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I hadn't been expecting much, to be honest (the trailer does the film a disservice), but I was really taken with what they did, considering they had to make it on a smaller-than-intended budget (no WETA Digital/Industrial Light & Magic, folks). The story was very compelling and it had some great performances, including Jim Caviezel as the hero. Mr. Caviezel was excellent, and I wish we saw more of him, he's like a rock in this picture. But the rest of the cast are every bit as good: Sophia Myles, John Hurt, Jack Huston – brilliant! The trailer did something of an injustice to the cinematographer Pierre Gill, with it looking rougher than the badger's proverbial. This bears no relation to the finished product, which is so beautiful as to be jaw-dropping, and then some. And, while SPIN VFX is no WETA or ILM, their work was great enough that I didn't miss them (although the baby Moorwen wasn't as good as the big one). All told, it was a great film that is much better than the crummy marketing and support would suggest. Give it a go and, on this score, I can't wait to see what all you guys do next!

A hi-tech alien in 8th century Norway, hmmm... what to expect? But it becomes quickly evident that Kainan (the alien) is going to survive not by virtue of any sci-fi gadgets (his "ray gun" is lost in the first few minutes) but through old-fashioned courage, fighting skills, quick wits and a noble spirit. The movie centres a great deal on how this Outlander earns respect, acceptance and affection with this ancient people.

John Hurt convinces as Rothgar, King of the tribe, as does Sophia Myles as Freya, the movie's only significant female. Though physically attractive, as Rothgar's son Wulfric (Jack Huston) observes, she is not in any sense "soft". She looks robust (but still feminine), fights likes a man, punches out Kainan in one scene, and displays an independence doubtless uncharacteristic of the women of her time.

If Kainan displays any unearthly qualities it would have to be in his selflessness, devotion to common sense and rationality. Of course he wants to survive, but there is no sense of resentment to the harsh treatment he initially receives. He's obviously a rival for Wulfric, but is happy to save the guy's life, while risking his own.

The Morwen monster adds colour and distinctiveness to the movie but in many respects is its weakest point. How would the Morwen have stowed aboard Kainan's ship, apparently remaining docile for the long voyage to Earth and not broken out and decimated the crew long before? This creature (and it might be a Mommy Morwen, because it has at least one smaller sidekick which is never explained) is able to withstand 1000+°C fire, even though Kainan and his people destroyed the Morwens on their home planet with fire (again silly as it takes millennia to develop that top foot of soil and ecosystem). In the final scene, the big Morwen is destroyed apparently by falling over a waterfall (doubtful?) plus some sword injuries - Kainan seems sure of it (or maybe it wasn't dead, but being kept for a sequel??).

The movie has a small amount of gore - the worst is Gunnar losing his head by a flick of the Morwen's tail as it whips by - no sex (just a rather modest kiss), a good deal of swordplay and displays of male testosterone. Special effects are good though the Morwen looks perhaps too much out-of-this world, complete with flashing LEDs.

When Kainan first landed, he activated a homing beacon. Finally a ship hoves into sight, but he destroys the beacon and the ship recedes. This again seems far fetched: after coming a gazillion miles, you'd turn back at the last few just because the beacon stopped? Anyway he's made his decision, after earning the right to be King, with Freya as his Queen, he would rather stay with this ancient tribe on a pre-tech world than return to his own - again a decision somewhat hard to understand without adequate explanation, he gave no hint of being an outcast with no other choice. In one of the final scenes, Kainan again visits his sunken ship and exposes the casket containing his dead wife - presumably this is meant to help explain his decision to stay.

Despite these flaws, the movie has some solid drama, strong characters, entertains well and is an enjoyable way to kill a couple of hours.

Come on! It's one of the most predictable movies I've seen. 95% of the story is predictable. The other 5 isn't just because you think it can't be that predictable. I've looked at my watch every 20-ish minutes, and wondered "what next" only because it was still long way to go (I knew how long the movie is) and I just couldn't believe it's gonna be that simple.

"It" wants revenge, he wants revenge. "It" is the last of it's kind, he lost his family - "It" killed them. "It" strong, he weak. "It" has a baby (remember Godzilla?), he meets and likes an orphan kid. Their weapon is not good enough, he thinks of better one. She is dead. Oh, no, wait, she isn't... Helloooo??

The only original idea is that he brought "it". I guess my high expectations were due to relatively high ratings here on IMDb (6.8 at the time). I can give it only 4, and even that is just because it's technically and visually good. To that, I'll add decent cast and actors' performance, but that's it.

If ever there was an example of just what a traffic accident Hollywood is becoming it's this turkey. It horrifically shows that from this point forward there seems to be not the slightest desire to actually create anything fresh, new or creative. In this debacle, a spaceman crash lands on Earth, with a bunch of bodies of his family… all killed by a monster, that yes, oh by the way, he was also carrying on the ship! Yes, it not only stinks of the movie "Alien", but that monster seems to be getting lots of work these days. Since it's the same damn monster. Sure it glows in the dark and at some points has a "stingray" type tail, but when you finally see it in the light, yep, it's the same monster. You'd think he'd give the work to some of his buddies.

This spaceman is from the future, and another planet, where supposedly things have evolved, you'd think that after all those years, he would have evolved. You'd say: just think of what he could bring to these people now, with what he knows. You'd think that. But "thinking" is not something these "film makers" have obviously ever done. They are amebas that just keep going foreword without thought, feeling or soul.

Oh, see… I forgot to mention… see this staggeringly unoriginal claptrap takes place in the days of the Vikings! So, you see… it's different. Alien monster is not a few years in the future… but he's gone back to the past. See, that makes it all different now! Except now you have this spaceman from the future from another planet, dealing with the "primitive" Spam loving folk of two thousand years ago. Gee, you'd think there would be something interesting here. Did anyone see "Starman"… a beautiful little movie that actually used that premise? No… it was just another way of combining all the Sword and Sorcery movies with the ton of "Alien" rip-offs. I mean, you'd think this spaceman's advance abilities would help these "primitive" mead drinking warriors? Actually no. Nothing. In fact, he seems to know just how to parry-thrust with a sword like any good warrior of the iron age. There's a quick second where there's some kind of mention that he can't ride a horse, but that's given up quickly, and he jumps on (even with his hands tied!) and rides like the wind.

In fact at one point, he's the one who devises the trap to try and get this monster, as if he's been out on the range his whole life barnstorming and digging wells. Shouldn't that be the other way around? Shouldn't they show him a thing or two of how to live off the land? Shouldn't both of the cultures either clash, or teach each other something? Nope. That would mean some kind of creative thought. No, this one has the benevolent old king with the braids in his hair (oh, and are you ready… played by "Alien" actor John Hurt), the dashing king-to-be, the king's daughter, who doesn't like the king-to-be, the battling leader of the other tribe, and… yes, the little orphan boy. And the boy learns to… no… that would again be too much. The boy doesn't learn a thing except how to cut his hair.

There's a great bit of Déjà vu in the scenes of the alien creature in his lair gathering bodies like squirrels to nuts (it gets cold in the winter up there in Norway, you have to be prepared)… along with guys not with guns and flashlights, but swords and torches running around dripping tunnels (why do they all have to drip… just because Ridley Scott did it once, does EVERYONE have turn around in drips!!!) and being eaten.

Yes, one does think again and again of "Monty Python's Holy Grail", except, in this case it's the audience who needs to be shouting: "Run away… run away!" I watched this with a crowd of Sci-Fi people, who really tried to like this movie for the first half… but even they began to hiss and boo, as one overused scene after another vomited its way onto the screen. At one point when you have the proverbial girl dangling off a cliff, being held by two fingers by the hero screams: "swing me!" it was over. The crowd burst into gales of laughter. Yes, they were laughing AT the movie. Then, started the mass exodus through the dark (they "film makers" put all their money on bad CGI effects, and didn't have enough for lights, so it was always dark in the theater), without the slightest interest in seeing what they knew was the obvious ending.

However the few that stayed, were rewarded in that they got to see one of the most unintentionally hilarious send offs of the end of "North By Northwest" ever filmed. But I'm telling you… this monster is no Eva Marie Saint.

I've purposely not mentioned the names of those responsible for this junk food called a movie. Check it out above you in the credits. And do whatever you can to keep them from doing this again. These are not individuals who should ever be given money and shout "action", or "cut", or "less light", or "we can't do that, it's never been done before!" No, there needs to be "stalker laws" for non talents like this. They need to have an injunction to keep them at least fifty feet away from any studio, sound stage, CGI shop, or DVD Player. The last so they can't continue to make movies solely by imitation.

1. Underwater dwelling creature can drown easily 2. Monsters save hot babes for dessert 3. The width of your tool matters more than its length