Epoch (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Matt Codd

Writers:

Jonathan Raymond (screenplay)
Jonathan Raymond (story)

Release Date:

8 January 2004 (Finland)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Evolution. Is this the beginning or the end?

Plot:

Disaster strikes as a specialised team of investigators struggle to find out the truth about a strange monolith which sends out an intercontinental signal. |

Plot Keywords:

Healing | Alien Technology | Jet Fighter | Military | Bible Quote

Cast

David Keith	...	Mason Rand
Ryan O'Neal	...	Allen Lysander
Stephanie Niznik	...	Dr. KC Czaban
Raul Julia-Levy	...	Jose (as Raul Julia Jr.)
Brian Thompson	...	Capt. Tower
Steve Bond	...	Col. Tell
Craig Wasson	...	Hudson
Michael Cavanaugh	...	Williams
Shannon Lee	...	Pamela
James Avery	...	Dr. Solomon Holt
James Hong	...	Ambassador Po
Joe Kelly	...	Control tech
Donald Li	...	Chinese scientist
William Zabka	...	Joe (Rover driver)
Marc McClure	...	German scientist

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some language and violence.

Runtime:

Australia:93 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:12 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Unified Film Organization (UFO)

Goofs:

Continuity: Countdown on the bomb jumps back a few seconds with every camera change. At 36 seconds, the timer begins to skip a few seconds with each change. At 8 seconds, it suddenly reverts to 29 seconds for a few seconds, then continues on at 4 seconds.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Epoch: Evolution (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Real Deal

A pleasant surprise

Ahh, the critics who are so quick to dismiss this made for TV movie often make me wonder what they're really looking for.

I picked this movie off the shelf of Blockbuster thinking "hey, unknown Sci-Fi movie, must be awful, but I bet there's some sample material for me in it." What a shock when I got it home and found it was actually clever and worth watching!

To begin with, the script is actually pretty smart, and filled with surprisingly witty dialog that had me laughing out loud at parts. The CGI effects are as good as they get for a movie of this budget, and are better than I expected them to be. The story, while mildly predictable, keeps you thinking, and is certainly of a bigger scope than the standard "five people trapped in a unknown alien artifact" that I expected. Any story that acknowledges politics and an outside world has to be given more credit than some viewers (and commenters here) would care to admit.

Overall, if you've got a rainy day and are looking for a little diamond in the rough, this isn't a bad way to spend two hours. There are faces you'll recognize, some intelligent unfolding of the story, reasonable cinematography and direction, and Epoch is an overall entertaining bit of work. 7.5 out of 10.