Review of Outlander (2008) by Garrett R — 22 Jul 2011

OUTLANDER is part Beowulf medieval war drama, part Predator sci-fi suspenseful horror film. The odd genre mix may be jarring for some, but for those who like these two genres will be right at home here. The special effects and surprisingly awesome action serve up the goods to the genre fans, while the story that the cast and director deliver the suspense of a monster movie and spirit of a Norse movie.

The story of OUTLANDER boasts an original premise within two familiar subgenres of sci-fi: the monster movie and of the war drama: the Norse movie (which there aren't too many of in cinema, it seems). A space warrior crashlands on an unknown planet (to him), and fights for his survival when he has to ally with a local Norse village (and King) to defeat a terrifying, literally alien threat that threatens the lives of everyone the warrior and King have the right to defend. Sounds like a decent story, yes? OUTLANDER does boast a good story along with its original premise, but the rest of the story is better seen than said!

The aforementioned space warrior is played by Jim Caviezel, (who starts out flat) as Kainan, a space warrior "from the skies". He crashlands in 709 BC Norway via a spaceship, and is perceived later by the Norse warrior who captured him seeking something in the woods as an outlander, and a man who needs a reason to be alive and useful. The outlander's reason for hunting is that he's hunting a "dragon", which has been let loose in the nearby area. His capturer and guards don't believe him, but unfolding surrounding circumstances involving mysterious deaths and disappearances evokes Kainan's sad past and his internal motivation to right his past's wrongs. This dramatic component allows Caviezel to gradually develop his character and to show solid dramatic depth as his character from being more than an "outlander", but a true leader and in this case a natural hero.

Where this medium-budget B-movie succeeds mostly in is its casting and performances. While Jim Caviezel decently headlines this going-for-cult-status movie (where has he been these past few years?) in supporting roles does OUTLANDER have some fine talent to back him up: John Hurt (HARRY POTTER and Hulu's THE CONFESSION) as King Hrothgar (Beowulf nod), Sophia Myles (HALLAM FOE, 2008) as the willful and headstrong Freya, the soon-to-be wife of the prideful Wulfric (Jack Huston); and Ron Perlman (HELLBOY, I SELL THE DEAD, the upcoming DRIVER) as the brutish and barbaric rival village leader Gunnar, all deliver believable performances.

And then the monster that lures, digests, and then devours its prey is very well-designed and concieved for a medium-budget B-movie. There is a silent motivation behind the monster's reign of devouring terror, and it is revealed later in the film. At one point, one may feel sorry for the monster, but the nature of how vicious and how unmerciful the monster goes about his business throws to the wayside all sympathy for the monster entirely.

The set design and cinematography accurate capture the aura and the look of what a Norse countryside in 709 BC would look like (OUTLANDER was filmed in Newfoundland and eastern Canada). And the costume design is absolutely inspired by BEOWULF, THE 13TH WARRIOR and every medieval/Norse movie you can think of (but that's not such a bad thing, given that accuracy in portraying a period in time is way better than going for an original look that is historically inaccurate).

OUTLANDER is a perfect movie for guys who want to see a fun, spirited and suspenseful genre blend of a monster and Norse movie on a weekend night. The terrific yet not spectacular doses of special effects and action supplement the decent-to-better-than-expected acting (Jim Caviezel is a solid reference) and the story.

With a movie such as OUTLANDER, you have to suspend your disbelief high above your head to enjoy the suspenseful sc-fi Norish-ness about the production. And once you do, you'll enjoy OUTLANDER as a very entertaining, spirited and suspenseful Norse monster movie with welcome original touches of sci-fi elements and terrific action scenes.