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I'm not the
only person in the world who has a love/hate
relationship with the Sci-Fi Channel. Here
is a network that has, in the past delivered
some of the most entertaining Sci-Fi shows,
only to axe them at the height of their
popularity. Take "Farscape" for
example. Here was a series that had become
one of the anchors for the network, lasted
a full 4 four seasons, continuing to be
at the top of its game. The series was a
certified cult hit (deservedly so), yet
right before the end of the 4th season it
was summarily cancelled. What replaced it?
Shows like "Tremors: The Series",
which wasn't only well the below the quality
of "Farscape", but to the best
of my knowledge never even showed up on
any kind of 'quality' list.
Of course, they made up for it a little
by acquiring and continuing "Stargate
SG-1" and creating the new "Battlestar
Galactica" (which defied the expectations
of fans of the Original series by surpassing
it on every level imaginable). But still,
as far as Original Programming of any kind,
the bad outweighs the good.
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To date, I can count the number of 'good' Sci-Fi
Channel Original movies on one hand while the
list of bad ones continues to circle the globe.
So, as you might expect, I was very hesitant to
watch the recent release of "The Triangle",
which was originally broadcast as a mini-series
on Sci-Fi last year.
Two things it had going for it, at least causing
it to pique my interest a little, was that is
boasted a fairly good cast (consisting of Sam
Neill, Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Lou Diamond
Phillips and Bruce Davison) and the fact that
I used to be fascinated by the subject of the
Bermuda Triangle. When I was growing up, I read
everything I could get my hands on about it (and
other unexplained phenomena). Charles Berlitz
always seemed to have some of the better written
ones. I would get caught up in the stories about
the five fighter planes that disappeared in the
1940s as well as every other ship or plane that
vanished within the "Triangle."
There have been a handful of films that have been
based around the phenomenon, most of which weren't
all that great. There was even a short-lived TV
series back on the 80's that wasn't too bad. But,
fascinated though I might be, when the Sci-Fi
channel tackled it last year, I passed on it solely
because of the network's reputation. So when Lion's
Gate announced the DVD release, that was when
my aforementioned hesitancy sprang to life.
I received the set last week and settled in to
watch the entire thing in one sitting (it clocks
in under 6 hours), and to say I was pleasantly
surprised is an understatement. The storyline,
which revolves around a billionaire industrialist
(Sam Neil) and his plan to investigate the large
numbers of his ships that are vanishing, actually
kept my attention nearly all the way through.
On the formulaic side, he hires a group of 'specialists'
to help handle the dirty work. He brings on a
psychic (Bruce Davison), an ocean engineer (Catherine
Bell), a scientist (Michael Rodgers)… and
the more unlikely of choices (at least on the
surface), a tabloid journalist (Eric Stoltz).
Together they embark on a journey to the "Triangle"
to solve the mystery (kind of a maritime 'Scooby
Gang).
But even more surprising were the special effects.
While they weren't always top of the line, they
were a far cry better than you’ll find in
most Sci-Fi Channel Original films. Right from
the opening sequence, which involves a modern
day ship in a storm running into some old ships
that are under the command of Christopher Columbus,
the director (Craig R. Baxley), sets the tone
for what is to come later.
The DVD from Lion's Gate delivers a terrific transfer,
with both the picture and sound hitting the screen
and speakers with awesome clarity. The only disappointment
was in the fact that the only special feature
was a half hour featurette on the making of the
film. It's rather slickly produced; obviously
created to air on the Sci-Fi Channel to help promote
it, but still manages to give viewers a fairly
decent look behind the scenes.
"The Triangle" was much more entertaining
than I originally expected, and all I can say
is don’t let Sci-Fi's reputation keep you
away from this one!
Directed by: Craig R. Baxley
Starring: Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Lou Diamond
Phillips, Bruce Davison, Sam Neill
Extras: Sci Fi Inside - The Triangle
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 2.0
Surround Sound. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: 3/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give The Triangle a B+.
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