Wyvern (2009) (TV)

Director:

Steven R. Monroe

Writer:

Jason Bourque (writer)

Release Date:

31 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

The resident of a small Alaska town that finds itself under attack by a flying dragon, known in medieval mythology as a wyvern...

Plot Keywords:

Helicopter Rescue | Polar Ice Cap | Truck | Radio Host | Brother Killed

Cast

Nick Chinlund	...	Jake Suttner
Erin Karpluk	...	Claire
Barry Corbin	...	Haas
Elaine Miles	...	Deputy Susie Barnes
Tinsel Korey	...	Hampton
Simon Longmore	...	Farley
John Shaw	...	Chief Dawson
Karen Austin	...	Edna Grunyun
David Lewis	...	Dr. David Yates
Don S. Davis	...	Colonel Travis Sherman
Dave Ward	...	Fisherman

Also Known As:

Rise of the Damned (USA) (working title)
The Condemned (USA) (working title)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Cinetel Films

Quotes:

Claire: Would you look at yourselves? A truck driver, a DJ, a retired colonel, and a hillbilly.
Haas: Hey, who you calling a hillbilly?
Claire: Haas, you made your own fur jacket.

An Exceptional Effort for the Sci Fi Channel

This flick is a clear six (6) as a general rating, and a 10 as far as movies made for the Sci Fi Channel go. It has a substantive cast including: a recognizable good guy (Nick Chinlund who often plays a detective); two really good old guys (Barry Corbin is an ace and the late Don Davis is well known as the general from the Stargate series); and two attractive young women (both Canadian I believe) including the very pretty Tinsel Korey who seems to be Native American. The CGI created monster is extremely well done. The plot has no spurious countdown timer to artificially bolster tension; no excessively stupid acts by the cast to increase it, letting the evil creature doing evil things create the necessary pulse pounding; heroic deeds by the protagonists; and a reasonably realistic terminal event. On the downside, I'm not sure that "the land of the midnight sun" is all that green and snow-free, and the solstice should come in the middle of the daylight period, not at the end as the script implies. However, this was really quite well done, and acceptably enjoyable as these things go.

My research shows, however, that the Wyvern is a wholly British beastie, and Corbin's character's description of it as Norse seems unnecessarily manufactured for the cinema.