Wyvern

This film is about an Alaskan town just entering a solstice when a giant Norwegian dragon awakens from its slumber to attack the townspeople. I'm sure that I'm one of many SciFi fans who have become increasingly disappointed with original SciFi movies. Wyvern is actually pretty decent. The acting is fair and the dialog is amusing. The good thing is that they mean for the dialog to be amusing. I found myself chuckling a few times because the characters are unusual and just a bit peculiar. Don't get me wrong, the special effects are a bit cheesy but I have seen much, much worse (Sharks in Venice anyone?). The cinematography is actually quite good. I give this a 6 out of 10 because the actors really gave good performances.

"Wyvern" is in every sense of the word a TV movie. So is that necessarily a bad thing? Well, no. "Wyvern" actually proved to be adequate entertainment for what it was. Mind you, don't expect Shakespearian acting here, or top notch special effects galore. But the movie did prevail with what resources it had at its disposal.

The story is straight forward and rather simplistic, to be honest. It is about a small Alaskan community which is entering the last days with sunlight and to engage in their annual celebration of the solstice. However, an ancient and terrible creature has awoken from its frozen prison and seeks to the sky, to spread terror and havoc to the Alaskan citizens.

The effects in "Wyvern" were actually surprisingly good for a TV movie, because the wyvern itself did actually look quite nice and had some good details to it. Of course, it wasn't fully up to the standards of the Hollywood blockbusters. But still, it worked out quite well enough.

As for the acting in the movie, then the people did good jobs with their fairly limited script. That being said, don't get me wrong. While it might not have been the most famous or familiar of acting talents, then people were still doing good jobs in bringing the characters to life on the screen. I only recognized Barry Corbin, Don S. Davis and Elaine Miles in this movie.

I have actually seen "Wyvern" twice now, over a period of 7 years, so it does sustain multiple viewings, albeit with years in between.

However, "Wyvern" is hardly an outstanding movie, and as such, then I am rating the movie a mediocre five out of ten stars.

This is far superior to what I have come to expect from the Sci Fi Channel Originals. The Wyvern is fabulous, and the dialog is actually quite realistic. This is superb as far as the Sci Fi Channel movies go, and if this is what we can expect this next generation of SFOs to be like, this should be an enjoyable decade of M4TV Creature Features. Also, it was nice to see Elaine Miles (Northern Exposure) again. She always was one of my favorites.

This film is a real surprise in the actual film quality, sure, but more so in the quality of performances, dialog, screenplay, and actual plot...but what surprises me most (as if that weren't enough) is the CGI of the Wyvern. WOW! The CGI was good for anyone, but especially for the Sci Fi Channel. The Lord of the rings this isn't, but for a Sci Fi Original movie, this isn't bad at all.

It rates a 8.8/10 on the Made For TV Scale.

It rates a 7.4/.10 on the Movie Scale from...

the Fiend :.

Fair dragon-on-the-loose adventure, set in modern-day Alaska. A mythological Norwegian beast turns out to be very real as it attacks a small wilderness town. The beast itself is nothing special, a typical CGI creation that looks like a cross between a dragon and a winged canine. But the plot moves along briskly enough (with a wink and a nod to JAWS in the form of a town festival taking place while the monster is on the loose), and this low-budget TV movie is graced by the presence of not one but two veteran character actors, Barry Corbin and Don Davis. Corbin has been in many movies and co-starred in the wonderful TV series, NORTHERN EXPOSURE. Davis is perhaps best known for his role in the original STARGATE TV series. They give this slight monster movie some measure of gravitas.

Really enjoyed this, it's one of SyFy channel's better efforts. The action is paced well, the characters are well-developed, and the acting is at a premium level.

It's a good late-night monster flick, with a dragon beast that attacks the residents of a small remote Alaskan town. The special effects are adequate in making what you see believable, and the director depicts the violence adequately by tempering the gore scenes. You see the violence, yet without the excessive blood and guts spraying around gratuitously. Also, because the actors make the characters natural and give them dimension, you care about them. So, when someone is lost, you feel that loss (in contrast to the paper cut-out screamers these movies usually have, and you root for the monster). The town's people are a nicely composed group of different types of people, with no clichéd personalities (for once). The film even gives the creature some depth: what it's doing, why, etc.

The final battle sequence is the stuff of good popcorn monster movie action. The weapon that's used might seem way out, but it's a lot of fun, an original idea, and the duel really shows somebody thought out how to do it effectively.

Despite a limited budget, this film is a good watch.