Outlander (2008)

Director: Howard McCain

Cast: James Caviezel as Kainan, Sophia Myles as Freya, Jack Huston as Wulfric, John Hurt as Rothgar, Cliff Saunders as Boromir, Patrick Stevenson as Unferth, Aidan Devine as Einar, Ron Perlman as Gunnar, Bailey Maughan as Erick, John Nelles as Donal (as John E. Nelles), James Preston Rogers as Bjorn (as James Rogers), Scott Owen as Aethril, Petra Prazak as Mara, Owen Pattison as Galen, son of Kainen, Matt Cooke as Captain

Outlandish. Howard McCain's Outlander may be the best B movie you never
saw. This release dumped unceremoniously into theaters in the early
year scrap heap is certainly a movie that is fully aware of its
preposterous nature and approaches it with a straight face, a talented
cast and premier production values that all work oddly well to produce
an entertaining if far from perfect Sci-fi cult classic.

Originally slated for a normal wide release, a series of setbacks
plagued production to an extent where it was deemed no longer feasible
for such distribution. Why is this important you may ask? Well, thanks
to the original and best laid plans producers threw a whopping $50
million into the film which provides us with some damn good effects for
a film you would all but assume to be a low budget, straight to DVD
release.

The plot is as tantalizing as they come; an alien, Kainan played by
James Caviezel crash lands in ancient Nordish territory in the age of
the Vikings. But along with his technology he brings a foreign
parasite, a deadly creature known as the Moorwen. Caught in the middle
of two warring Viking clans headed by Rogthgar (John Hurt) on one side
and Gunnar (Ron Peralman) on the other, the primitive tribes must ban
together to defeat their new common foe. oh yeah, it is in fact that
awesome. The 'modern' story is framed by an interesting if slightly
preachy back-story of past betrayal and genocide throughout the history
of Kainnan's homeland.

After all this financial mumbo-jumbo is put to the side, what we are
left with is a deliciously acted, well made period/sci-fi/creature
feature/action film that only works at all due to all originality and
the bizarreness of the plot. A few elements keep Outlander from being a
cult-masterpiece however; it is too long, there are too many false
climaxes and the goofy plot only just holds up. That being said the
good news is that this film will make a quick trip to your local movie
store bargain bin which means that you can score it for about the cost
of a rental. Outlander is worth a look and even if you don't like it,
you can't deny how perfectly it defines the so-bad-it's-good adage.

Read all my reviews at: http://www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com