Outlander [Blu-ray]

The CGI is terrible. Monsters look fake. Story is that monster/dragon was killed by fire...but huge fire does not kill this one so we can have a movie. Falling from a cliff kills it....even though fire seemed more intense. But that's okay because it give time for the stupid plot to conclude. Outlander's family killed on far away planet, but somehow show up in coffins in Norway at end. Woman warrior conveniently submissive to the males and conveniently get's taken captive but not eaten by the monster. Happy ending = family is replaceable and species eradication okay!

I wanted desperately to like this movie. I assure you that I tried very hard. Yet, I found myself asking again and again if it was almost over. Not exactly a very good sign. It's not a terribly long movie but the dragging storylines, weak character development, lackluster acting (which is especially shameful since some of these actors have excellent resumes and have produced incredible work at other times), and CGI that looks like someone's final project in film school, makes this movie feel 5 hours long. In an effort to find something redeeming about this movie I will say that while the costumes are not even remotely period (mostly representing Hollywood's generic 'Viking' rather than actual 8th century Norsemen and women), they are well constructed and visually appealing. The same can be said for the sets and set dressing which actually lean in and are slightly more authentic.So, I think it's terrible movie with a subpar script about a beast that you kind of want to win because f*** the main characters. Maybe it's a redemption story but It's the kind of redemption story where no one actually gets redeemed.... They just act like they did and pat themselves on the back. By reading this review you have already wasted enough time on this ridiculous movie. That's my opinion.

to 5 stars from me... It was a tough call...This was my 3rd time watching the movie... so that, by itself, says a lot...There are already 4k+ reviews on this... so, I'll be brief...This movie does SO many things right... camera work... acting... lighting... stunt work... even the CGI...If you like fantasy / action movies mixed with authentic looking medieval ( or slightly earlier ) sets and/or backdrops... you need to watch this... It's a fantastic flick...It's really really close to being 5 stars from me... but, I'm sticking with 4...Feel free to read all my other reviews ( I review a LOT )... My rating scale...1 - Why was this even made?2 - This is a bad movie... I made it through to the end... and now I regret it...3 - Ok movie... Potential for a soft recommend... Will probably not watch again...4 - Solid movie. Lots of good things going for it... Will watch again...5 - I need to call my friend right now...

I'm sure the positive reviews are out of respect for some of these well-known and beloved actors. I like them too very much and they played their parts well. That's it. I won't "spoil it" for you, but the first 15 minutes have about 3 "tropes" that you've already seen plenty of times before in plenty of movies and tv shows. Then there these people who we are supposed to believe are Vikings even though they speak and act like regular people from today's culture and society, not coming from viking culture and society.Then there are the plot points and character decisions that make no sense whatsoever if you think about them even a tiny bit. This goes on for about 45 minutes to an hour. Then the movie gets kind of good for about 15 minutes and then the rest is just more of the same nonsense I mentioned previously all the way to the credits.I wish I had a medical device that could remove the memory of the experience of having watched this piece of crap. But then I might accidentally watch it again, and I wouldn't want to do that to myself.

Imagine if a Space Empire made up of Humanoids, who seed the Universe with their kind, decide to take over a planet that will sustain life but already has tough-looking carnivorous beasties on it. They think the beasts are mindless brutes and kill them all off in mass genocide (just for a planetary land grab). Except they didn't kill them all and the survivor beast kills off the human colony and stows away on a spaceship to earth. One soldier survives the trip along with the beast and inadvertently brings it to Earth in the era of the Vikings. What follows is a retelling of the Beowulf saga; except Beowulf is the Space Soldier dude and Grendel is a Space monster (imagine a "toad-like" cross between Alien and Predator).This movie only made about 7 million US dollars on its release and it cost about 40 million more to make it so it was a complete failure at the box office. But it is actually quite good. Better than the Alien Vs Predator schlock. The actors are excellent. Jim Caviezel is the haunted space soldier, grieving for the death of loved ones. He perfectly displays the mix of grief, and an eagerness for retribution, along with toughness and sometimes despair. Add the late-great John Hurt, the lovely Sophia Myles, Ron Perlman, and Jack Huston, and folks, there ain't nothing wrong with the quality of the acting. The sets of the Viking village are almost alone worth watching for historical accuracy. As are the costumes and props (swords, helmets, etc.) The CGI is a little dated, but so what? It works! Folks, it's called "suspension of disbelief" for a reason, you need it to view any work of Hgh Fantasy or Science Fiction. The one thing that I think did this film in was that it had an "R" rating and that was just for the violence. Their is no nudity or sex in it, and only a sprinkling of Anglo-Saxon profanity. If the filmmakers had toned down the decapitations and amputations they probably could have gotten a PG rating and reached a significant number of 11 to 17-year-old boys in its release and at least could have broken even in $$$.

I actually enjoyed this I thought it was gonna be a cheaply made badly acted mess but it was good. If defo watch again which says a lot as most films I never want to see again. In the way cowboy and aliens mixes sci fi concepts with a western theme this one mixes Viking lore with sci fi. The story actually makes sense and doesn't really have things that take you out of it. Is it the best film ever? No is it a bad or meh film? No it's a good film that I will recommend and watch again these days that's a win.

A spaceship crash lands on Earth , Norway, 709 AD. Only 2 occupants survive, Kainan (Caviezel) & an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Seeking revenge for those it perceived to have wronged it, Kainan must convince & work with the local village of warring Vikings to hunt it down & kill it, before it destroys them all!The concept of Outlander is one that requires your suspension of disbelief, to enjoy it's Sci-Fi/Medieval fusion. The forefront of the movie is this life & death game of cat & mouse with an alien monster, around a beautifully recreated Viking village & surrounding rural area , that offers up some great action sequences & top notch visual effects. Away from the action, in times of calm, is a story of understanding the motives behind each character, romance & overcoming the boundaries of being a stranger to work as one to defeat a common enemy. The latter does result in the pace of the film dropping a little in places, but as a whole it was a good mix. In fact the cut content appears to be mostly this background content, so that's worth watching for those who like a bit more depth.Jim Caviezel's ( Person of Interest ) huge screen presence as Kainan is very good, ably managing the contrast from wounded soul to level headed & experienced warrior. John Hurt's ( Alien ) gravitas makes him easy to believe as the ageing Viking King , Hrothgar. Jack Huston ( Boardwalk Empire ) is convincing as the young waspish future King, Wulfric & Sophia Myles ( Tristan And Isolde ) was great as the beautiful, feisty & warlike King's daughter, Freya. Also co-stars of note, Ron Perlman ( Hellboy ) who briefly shines as the snarling man mountain Gunnar, King of the rival village.In conclusion, despite a few flaws & somewhat predictable nature, it's Sci-Fi/Medieval fusion works surprisingly well. The Independent film production budget managed to deliver solid action, good acting, great special effects/costumes & a story that leaves you entertained. If you like films such as  The 13th Warrior  or  Pathfinder  then you will likely enjoy this. Contains mild language (1 F-bomb early in) & graphic violence. Recommended. Person of InterestAlienBoardwalk EmpireTristan And IsoldeHellboyThe 13th WarriorPathfinder

Unusual sci-fi movie, the future meets the Vikings oh and some horrible slimy 'dragons' known as Moorwens from outer space! It begins with a spaceship crashing in Viking Norway, with Kainan, the sole survivor taken prisoner by a Viking king and accused of destroying neighbouring villages. However, it was later discovered that he was not to blame, but an evil Moorwen creature was bent on destroying all life on earth.... Towards the end of the movie, Kainan has to make a decision, whether to be rescued or to remain in Viking Norway!

A bit of a romp and good performances (esp from the old hands, John Hurt and Ron Perlman), but as a derivative from the Beowolf saga it's not as watchable as Beowolf & Grendel ( with Gerard Butler in the lead role). The latter benefits from (a) the better adherence to the story, at least to a point, (b) doesn't take itself too seriously, (c) the great Icelandic scenery and (d) a great supporting cast, esp Eddie Marsan as the faintly mad Irish priest and Sarah Polley as the somewhat laconic and sexy Seer, not to forget the big guy who plays Grendel.The Sci-Fi aspect of Outlander is virtually irrelevant - it's an uncomfortable marriage. DVD destined for a young relative.

In year 709 AD in Norway, in the kingdom of Herot (in fact hardly more than a village) during the reign of wise old king Hrothgar (John Hurt), a spaceship crashes. The pilot of the ship, a humanoid alien named Kainan (Jim Caviezel), survives - but so does a monstrous stowaway, an intelligent but extremely dangerous (and voracious) creature known to the aliens as a Moorwen. The Moorwen becomes fast the scourge of the kingdom and Kainan, after being caught by the Vikings, will have to help them in the hunt for the monster - something he is very eager to do, as there is bad blood between them...That sounds like a scenario for a very stupid and cheap "straight to DVD" monster movie, but director Howard McCain, who also wrote the story, managed to make of it a surprisingly good and original film. He also received a 47 million USD budget and he handled it very well. Viking's village looks very credible, costumes and weapons were carefully made and Moorwen creature is really SCARY.Although this is a SF film, the story was clearly inspired by "Beowulf". The name of king Hrothgar and the name of the country (Herot) both come from the poem. Also, exactly as in the poem King Hrothgar owns a large mead hall and at one moment a "magic" sword will appear. Moorwen is a voracious predator feasting on flesh of heroes, exactly as Grendel and Kainan is an outlander, coming from a distant realm, exactly as was Beowulf in the poem.Dialogs are surprisingly good for a B-movie and actors did very well, including Ron Pearlman who plays Gunnar, the brutish king of neigbouring realm (in fact just another large village). Sophia Myles who plays Freya, king Hrothgar's daughter (and of course Kainan's love interest) did also a good job as a cute damsel in just enough distress to attract a mate, but not enough to anger the feminists...))) A good thing in this film is also that some other Vikings (mostly Wulfric and Boromir) have also something to do and to say during the film - it is not the "standard issue" B-movie in which the hero does everything and everybody else does just figuration.One element which I think was unnecessary was the presence in the village of a Christian priest (extremely unlikely in year 709) and his parodic presentation. This Christian bashing was the one thing that I really disliked in this film. On another hand, the ending was pretty good.Also, unlike in most of this kind of films, towards the middle of the film we have an insight in the monster's side of the story - and at that moment I started to feel some real pity for the Moorwen, even if clearly there was no peace possible between humans and him...So bottom line, this is a very original, very interesting and pretty well made SF B-movie. I liked it and I keep my DVD to watch it again one day. Enjoy!