Ba'al

Someone forgot to write a script for this movie. It really doesn't appear to have a script. It looks more like a bunch of people getting together and just filming scenes as they go along, much like the old TV fantasy series like Xena. Lots of conflict and some action, but no clear content. Suffice to say, there is a quest for ancient artifacts, and the ancient idol, Ba'al is involved. We even see Ba'al as malformed clouds during the movie. Not a bad visual. But to call it confusing is to be generous. This movie has nothing really going for it, other than a few characters who are reasonably likable. We also have a very trite villain, however. Not sure what the audience for this would be. Perhaps 12 year olds, but even they would want some sort of story. There just isn't a story here.

This is a ridiculously funny TV movie, though I doubt the producers planned it that way. The dialogue is stilted, the acting is wooden and the plot is completely nonsensical. However, it's really good for a laugh. Canadians will get a kick out of watching for the ridiculous Canadian goofs. (Like much on SciFi, this picture was produced in Canada -- Vancouver, natch.) Listen for the secondary characters with their Brampton accents... the Canada Post mailbox in the background... and my favourite, the US Navy Lieutenant with bars on his collar and corporal's stripes on his sleeve (reminds me of the MASH episode where Radar gets a "field promotion" to a Captain-Corporal). To make things even better, the rank chevrons point downward, a-la Commonwealth usage. Hell... you'd think someone in the crew would have noticed this?

Okay, you have all the factors for a Skiffy Channel movie here. Made in Canada, military guys in the wrong uniforms, bad CGI, an ex-star from another Sci-Fi series no one watches anymore.

The plot is that a terminally ill scientist steals the Dead Sea Scrolls to discover the location of the amulets of Ba'al, the Storm God of ancient Sumeria. (Except the Dead Sea Scrolls were written by Hebrews who didn't believe in Ba'al, but never mind. He decides to dig up all four amulets and unleash Ba'al because his HMO wouldn't cover Lartril. Or something!

Anyway, in another movie, Lexa Doig of Andromeda Fame, who still can't act, tries to alert the military that a really big storm is coming...So they do a lot of filler scenes in a room with big screen TV's and cheap computer graphics....

it's dumb, it's silly and it's lame. It's the Sci-Fi channel. Did you expect GOOD science fiction?

Occasionally we select a film from the rental shelves because we were intrigued with the jacket cover. In school we often study and learn of ancient Gods from around the world. The title of this movie is " Ba'al " so I was intrigued. From it's inception, the story begins to fracture like a thin layer of ice. Beginning with a trip to the Alaska wilderness, we meet Carol (Stefanie Von Pfetten) and her companion, Dr. Lee Helm (Jeremy London) who have come to visit an eminent archaeologist, Dr. Owen Standford (Scott Hylands) who has discovered one of four ancient amulets. Although the find is dangerous, the mad doctor becomes obsessed with their combined power as it will activate the wrath and power of the ancient Sumarian god. The film then has our heroes gallivanting around the globe, chased by an assortment of characters like the F.B.I., Commander Kittrick (Michael Kopsa) of the Canadian government and the director of the museum. One need not see the entire movie to notice all the inaccuracies within the film. Granted the mistakes are obvious, the movie does get a couple points, like the impressive special effects and the near resemblance of the hero to Brandon Frasier. The conclusion is, although it's a badly constructed movie, it's entertaining enough to warrant a look-see. **

This movie is good fun, clearly love and care went into craft of this movie. It has it share of eye brow moments but overall it was clear and told a cohesive story. Very much enjoyed this movie. Great to watch with friends