Stark

I haven't read Ben Elton's best selling novel, but I'd be interested to know the tone of the book compared to the teleseries.

My biggest gripe is too many actors are woefully miscast, some of which play annoying, unnecessary caricatures with poor accents. Nor does Ben Elton do his screen adaption any favours implanting himself in this ham soup featuring Australian acting stalwarts Colin Friels, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Bill Hunter, Gwen Plumb and Collette Mann.

Directed by the accomplished Nadia Tass, Stark moves at a decent pace - aided somewhat by the middle of the Western Australian outback, where most of the action takes place, appearing to be a convenient half hour drive from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. There's enough in the story and sufficient action to hold attention, but the environmental destruction of Earth and the ills of capitalism are sobering topics. The panto vibe seems off kilter.

As the credits finally roll after a climax involving perhaps the worst special effects since the early incarnations of Dr Who, a narrator reels off frightening stats indicating the World is indeed dying. There's more weight in these two and a half minutes than the preceding two and a half hours.