Outlander (2008)

Director: Howard McCain

Starring: Jim CaviezelSophia MylesRon Perlman

In 709 A.D., in the Iron Age, a spacecraft crashes in the Viking kingdom of Herot, Norway, and the pilot Kainan (Jim Caviezel) survives. He turns the beacon on; learns the language and culture of the planet using a machine; and finds that the predator, Moorwen, that he was transporting, had escaped. While chasing the alien monster, he finds a village completely destroyed and is arrested by the warrior Wulfric (Jack Huston), believing that he killed the locals. Kainan is brought to Herot as a prisoner.

I’ve seen ‘Outlander’ a few times already and – although by no means a perfect movie – I’m entertained every time I see it. There’s just something about the action adventure element I really enjoy. I love the medieval setting for this futuristic movie. The naïve nature of the Vikings makes the film more exciting in a way, and more suspenseful. The cinematography is beautiful, and the film has a really great score, too.

We follow Kainan (Jim Caviezel) who crash lands on Earth, and becomes the hero he never thought he could be. His back story is told in bits and pieces throughout the film and we root even more for him once we learn of the heartache he had to endure – fighting his inner demons and battling to come to terms with what happened, and what he did as a soldier. The film certainly has a great deal of heart and soul, with emotional impact, and good character development.

There’s action galore and also the occasional brutal scenes. The visuals are also fairly good. I enjoy ‘Outlander’ for its many different genre elements, and beautiful scenery. This is an underrated gem of an action fantasy film.

Unfortunately the film didn’t do well at the box office. However, it received a Best Science Fiction Movie award, as well as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing.

Would I watch it again? Definitely.