Ferocious Planet and Sci-fi Thrills: A Movie Review

Director: Billy O'Brien.

Writer: Douglas G. Davis.

When you say the SyFy Network, some people cringe at the words, others laugh and even others look mystified. This is a television channel, which makes the best of low budgets, while offering b-movie fans something off the beaten path. With Ferocious Planet, the SyFy channel seems to have found something interesting, not too well travelled and a mostly fresh take on the parallel world construct. This ninety minute feature debuted on SyFy April 9th and this is a b-movie worthy of your attention.

The early minutes are used to develop some minor sub-plots involving affairs between scientists and military personnel, a disenfranchised senator and a presidential aid with far too much curiousity. Each of these story lines are well acted out, with Joe Flanigan playing the part of the hero. His subordinates (Yare Michael Jegbefume, Chris Newman) also play their roles of confused and terrified serviceman, as giant Tyranasaurus Rex-like monsters threaten to eat their characters. Also, John Rhys-Davies gets in a cameo, playing the senator, before being lunched by a roving beast. Each actor is well casted, with many picked from the Irish population in which Ferocious Planet was shot.

Tension and thrills are built early, as nine people are transported by a freak scientific experiment to parts unknown. A third of the cast are dropped early through heart attack, decapitation and the aforementioned lunch meat. Douglas D. Davis' script then focuses in on five characters, who do their best to survive a hostile planet and to return back to Earth in one piece. This is not a simple task, with a cold fusion generator causing more headaches than solutions. The result is a thrilling, well paced film with plenty of challenges for the characters to unwind.

Also, there is some mystery in this piece. There is a diverging plotline involving higher lifeforms inhabiting this recently discovered parallel world and planet. Distant shapes promise extraterrestrial communication, with a lush landscape also offering death at every snap of the jaws. Motivations of some characters are questionable and the finale offers a nice little red herring to let viewers smirk, or state: "I told you so." There is simply enough intrigue here to keep most sci-fi fans glued to their seats.

Ferocious Planet will re-air on the SyFy Network May 7th at 7:00pm and this film reviewer encourages fans of sci-fi thrillers to try out Ferocious Planet for a short ninety minutes. Your reward will be enjoyment, as tales of parallel worlds promise to keep you trapped in lands unimaginably far away. Just do not get too close to the screen, or one of the alien beasts might appear to trample right through your living room.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (entertaining, not too thought provoking, good acting, a solid script, good pacing and a nice distraction).

*shot in Dublin, Ireland.

Another review of Ferocious Planet is available at Dread Central, by Raider Redux:

Ferocious Planet at Dread Central

Future showings of Ferocious Planet at SyFy:

Ferocious Planet at Dread Central

More SyFy productions, or releases, with Ferocious Planet:



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Posted in: alien beasts,billy o'brien,cold fusion,douglas g. davis,ferocious planet,hostile planet,joe flanigan,movie review,sci-fi movie review 2011,syfy,syfy network,yare michael jegbefume