Riverworld (2003)

On Movies4Men in the UK late night..until I read this IMDb..why, each time I go to a site the login has changed.. anyway, having watched this, realised it was a made for TV movie.. but.. as someone said, left high and dry at the end..as in WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? We are taken on a journey, guessing whats happened, some questions answered along the way, damned good action and story, I've not a clue about the books.. as a film buff this was good, very humorous as times..and then its the end.. AH.. OK..characters realised..on their way.. then.. well, i'm ready, aren't I. Another TV pilot? Drat and double drat! They suck you in.. how much did it cost to make? Cos its made for TV that doesn't matter? So not a box office flop then but.. I thought equally as good as any other adventure film? I saw the film maker.. Alliance and realised thats the same 'maker' as many sci fi TV shows.. I guess that should have told me. New Zealand.. very nice. I'd still like to know how much it cost.. was it destined for a series, did someone change their minds..?

I finally saw this abomination of a TV pilot/movie. I wish I hadn't. 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go' is a novel by Phillip Jose Farmer which won the Hugo Award for best SF novel in 1972. This 'Riverworld' adaptation is a farce and does not do this incredible imaginative book any justice. This is a film that should be remade with all the attention to detail and robustness to how our Earth's history and possible future could be entangled into what I call the world's greatest Anthropological SF experiment of all time. Someone out there in Hollywood-land with some real script writing abilities should read all the books in the series and perhaps write a script that would do it justice. It has the makings of a blockbuster if the right individuals are involved. Anyway read all the books in the series and you will see what I mean. - Cheers

RIVERWORLD is the collective title of a series of short stories and novels about life along the banks of, and on and in, a vast river where everyone who was ever born is reborn and watched over -- and occasionally manipulated by -- unseen aliens. PJ Farmer wrote some fascinating stuff in the first two or three books and then worked the theme to death, continuing on when he should have stopped. The first book in the series, TO YOUR SCATTERED BODIES GO, is a classic and readily available in most major bookstores. The rest of the series is is no longer completely available, more's the pity. I used to own the complete collection in paperback. Next to ER Burrough's JOHN CARTER OF MARS series, the first book of which (A PRINCESS OF MARS) also is readily available and another series I also used to own in paperback, RIVERWORLD is the greatest sci-fi collection you can possibly own. Suffice it to say, the Sci-Fi Channel's adaptation of the first book or two is an abortion, and bears little resemblance to the source material. The main character, the legendary adventurer Sir Richard Burton, is missing as are several other key historic figures. The lead here becomes a typical American hero who does not exist in the books, played by Tom Berenger-lookalike Brad Johnson, who has trouble acting his way out of any paper bag he may encounter along the river. Mark Twain is on hand, but he is not the Mark Twain of the books. The magic and mystery of Farmer's novels is completely missing. Read the first three books, if you can find them, and skip this atrocity.

I finally came to a startling conclusion. I think I'm a fan of would be epics that are made for Television. There is something imaginative and fun about these films that have to work with smaller budgets and might not feature state of the art effects or big movie actors. Riverworld was a whole new concept to me, I have not read the books nor had I ever heard of it before. I kept looking at it in the video aisle and thinking about seeing it.Riverworld is the story of a dimension, planet, other worldly place of some sort where those who die are resurrected under water onto a lush, beautiful landscape with many others who have died. There are higher powers at work but they perform mysteriously from the outside without revealing themselves. They release the people from under water cocoons when they are "reborn." The planet is inhabited seemingly by those only resurrected but some have been there longer than others giving them time to try and dominate everyone else. Jeff Hale who died while doing a tour of space for Nasa finds himself trying to bring together the other people who are resurrected at the same time he is including none other than Emperor Nero. They are quickly captured and forced to slavery by the current ruler of Riverworld Valdemar. Hale escapes with the help of a mysterious being and by the time he rescues everyone else Emperor Nero has overtaken Valdemar and created his own empire in the hopes of rebuilding Rome on Riverworld. Hale leads the others with the help of a mysterious Alien being who also died and was resurrected on the planet, to another group of people led by Sam who are building a riverboat in order to explore the world more. When Nero attacks them Hale and others must fight him off in order to escape and find out what lies beyond in Riverworld.Although short the movie is well directed and beautifully shot and uses some very nice special effects even if they are low budget. Brad Johnson who I love as Rayford Steele in the Left Behind films does a really great job. He's a terrific, very under rated actor who looks the part of a big star. He commands the screen and is a great leader. Jonathan Cake as Nero is equally as great. He appears to be someone who should be in an Epic about Rome and instead is dropped into Riverworld which is perfect for this part. This film definitely cries out for sequel or series and mostly this was made as an introduction so I hope they don't stop it here, otherwise this film is really pointless on it's own but it's a great introduction. Fortunately the film is short enough that it never has to hold your attention for very long. The gore is minimal and never shows any serious violence despite the sword play. The main focus is on Johnson's character and he holds his own quite well. I am definitely looking forward to sequels. Check this out for something low budget and a good time.7/10