Outlander (2008)

 

You know the story of 'Beowulf'? Then how about we tell that story, only with science fiction and aliens sprinkled in? 

If that tickles your fancy, this might be the film for you. 

Kainan (Caviezel) crashes to Earth in his spaceship and discovers that it is around 709 AD and he is in Norway. Thanks to his advanced technology, he quickly learns the language, but there seems to be something amiss. Soon enough, he finds a completely wrecked village and some telling clawmarks, prompting him to be on his guard. It seems he has brought something along for the ride which is now loose and creating havoc. 

Soon after, he is captured by another village and of course no one believes him when he says he is hunting a dragon. That all changes fairly quickly once the creature is discovered and more people have died. 

Add in the mix the remaining warriors of the neighbouring village and the hunt is on for the creature Kainan calls a 'Moorwen'. 

But things aren't always what they seem... 

So yes, basically a variation on 'Beowulf' yet again, but this isn't the worst, not by a long shot. A lot of the actors do a fairly good job. Caviezel is a bit bland, but there's always John Hurt and Sophia Myles to liven up the party. The awesome Ron Perlman isn't in this one for long, alas, which is a real shame. I mean, he plays the sort of badass most people enjoy seeing him as, but he gets killed relatively quickly. 

The creature is a bit of a mix between the Predator (the partial invisibility and neon green blood), the small 2000's Godzilla babies (the design of the head) and a slasher villain. It isn't that special, but the use of bright colours as part of its biological makeup is a fun touch. 

What can catch you off guard is the gore, which comes quickly and abruptly at times and does work for a certain amount of shock. This isn't one of those very watered down adventure stories you so often get. It does like to take a few risks here and there, and the mound of dismembered corpses in the creature's lair is pretty disturbing. Hurray for practical effects yet again! The creature on the other hand is mostly CG and doesn't always look convincing, especially during the latter stages of the film, so it's good that they keep it hidden for the most part. 

Not a lot more to say, really. This is a decent timewaster, but don't expect anything grand or groundbreaking. Some decent performances, an okay story and good pacing. So I'd check it out if you have some time to spare.