Movie Review: The Outlander

By Kevin Coll • January 23, 2009 • 4 Comments

Combining extraterrestrial sci-fi with Iron Age locale is always something of a challenge and something that would make most people’s eyebrows raise in confusion. Outlander however does this pretty convincingly.

In what felt like a cross between Predator and the 13th Warrior, Outlander is a cool and entertaining sci-fi adventure film that could be one of those little cult films that people just kind of find later on, like the Highlander, Dragonheart, Reign of Fire, Beowulf (1999 version) and Starship Troopers.

Outlander begins when a spacecraft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings or the Iron Age. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan (James Caviezel) – and a bloodthirsty creature known by Kainan’s people as “the Moorwen.” Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As ‘the Moorwen” ravages the Viking world on Earth, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the Iron Age warriors. Combining his other worldly knowledge of technology and crossing that with the ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads his newly found friends into a desperate attempt to kill the beast – before it destroys them all.

Jim Caviezel, plays the title role really well giving the intensity and physicallness a compelling reality that the audience connects with. In my opinion this movie doesn’t differ from any other sci-fi epic that attempts to cross advanced and not so advanced civilizations together such as Stargate.

The films carries with it a tale of romance, love and ultimately survival from various perspectives. ‘The Moorwen” is a creature but one that is acting out of survival and love as much as Kainan is too. Some critics may point to this film as one that is confusing and silly but I believe they have no suspension of disbelief, which is something you must have in order to enjoy most movies but especially sci-fi.

As a collision of genres this movie to me is a prime example of why we go to movies and enjoy them sometimes we just have to not look so deep and take with us what is on the surface. Sure i should probably apply this mindset to most movies but like my fellow critics I am guilty of the same thing, I guess I give thsi movie leeway because I am a fan of the genre so my review has some bias to it.

I feel confident to say that this movie is still a fun piece of entertainment that encompasses many themes and genres to bring a creative film to the table. Lastly the CGI holds its value within the film giving us a cool looking monster that doesn’t look completely out of its environment. The cast also works too with Jack Huston playing the showy but misguided swordsman and Ron Perlman being completely unrecognizable.

Directed by: Howard McCain
Produced by: Barrie M. Osborne, Chris Roberts
Written by: Dirk Blackman, Howard McCain
Starring: James Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Jack Huston
Cinematography: Pierre Gill
Editing by: David Dodson
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company
Release date(s): January 23, 2009

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