The Triangle

Just saw this on the Sci-Fi channel today and I loved it, especially compared to the terrible mini-series, Surface, which ran on NBC last year. Triangle had good acting, good special effects, a tight storyline, a satisfying ending, and was plausible within the basic outlines. I just hated Surface, though I watched most of it -- mostly in the hopes that it would start to get better but it never did. Surface wasted my time -- it was too long and drawn out -- and there were so many loose ends and implausible parts to that story. Its special effects were tacky too, especially that ending scene of the flood. Triangle excelled in all the places Surface fell on its face.

I don't care if the idea of the Bermuda Triangle is plausible or not. If you accept the fact that it exists for the sake of this movie, then the parts of this story make sense -- ie, what caused it and why it was causing so much havoc in the ocean. Sure there are a few things that are unexplained, but they are not major.

To address a few of the comments of other reviews here -- 1) perhaps the reason the 4 didn't meet their other selves in the alternate universes is because the others were also transported to other universes at that same time; at any rate, it's a really minor point ... 2) I read a comment that Lou Diamond Phillips' character could have been left out and it wouldn't have mattered. While it's true his character is non-essential to the basic storyline, it adds richness and texture to the mini-series in emphasizing the impact of the time shifts. Phillips also does a fine job with the role. I guess I'm biased as he's one of my favorite actors.... 3) someone said it didn't make sense that ships prior to the date of the creation of the Bermuda Triangle were experiencing the effects, but if you consider that time shifts are two-way -- that a portal that allows someone to travel back in time will also allow someone in that earlier period to travel to another time -- then it makes perfect sense.

After having recently wasted so many hours of my time on the dismal "Surface," this mini-series is a real winner.

I've been interested in this mini-series ever since I first learned about it back in October of last year. It wasn't just the plot that caught my attention, but also the fact that this mini-series was written and produced by two great film makers and one great TV producer combined! They include Dean Devlin the producer and co-writer of Independence Day, Bryan Singer the director of the X-Men films and Rockne S. O'Bannon the creator of the science fiction/fantasy series Frascape.

So ever since I learned about this mini-series I really wanted to now when it would premiere here in Australia. For months I've been seeing commercials on television about the The Triangle which only say "Comming Soon" with no clue of an exact start date, which really annoyed me. But at last this great mini-series has finally premiered here on Australian television!

If you like science fiction/mystery stories than this is just the mini-series for you. It has a very suspenseful and complicated plot about a psyche, a journalist, a meteorologist and an underwater scientist who are hired by a shipping billionaire (played by Sam Neill) to solve one of the world's greatest mysteries: the Bermuda Triangle. This shipping billionaire also has a problem. A number of his ships have recently disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle and he is desperate for answers. So these four characters all of whom have only just met head out on a very dangerous investigation to solve a phenomena unlike anything the world has ever known!

As for the cast of this mini-series there are only three main cast members that I am familiar with. They include Sam Neill an actor who is very well known here in Australia. Bruce Davidson, an actor best known to X-Men fans for his role as Senator Robert Kelly in the first X-Men film. And Catherine Bell who is best known for her role in the TV series JAG.

So all together this is a brilliant miniseries and I loved it! So if you like stories about the Bermuda Triangle and you love science fiction mysteries than this is just the mini-series for you!

While chasing a whaler, the Greenpeace boat sinks with the vessel, pulled by a mysterious force underwater and only Meeno Paloma (Lou Diamond Phillip) survives. Meanwhile, after the disappearance of six ships in the Bermuda Triangle in one year, the millionaire owner of the Mineral Shipping Lines Eric Benerall (Sam Neill) hires the skeptical journalist of The Observer Howard Thomas (Eric Stoltz); the scientist Bruce Geller (Michael Rodgers); the offshore engineer Emily Patterson (Catherine Bell) and the psychic Stan Lathem (Bruce Davison) to investigate the reasons for the phenomenon in the area. If the team succeeds in their quest for the truth, each one would receive five million dollars. They find a high-tech underwater facility from the Navy, and each one of them has glimpses of alternative reality after their discovery. They conclude that the experiment conducted by the Navy is affecting the electromagnetic balance of the ocean, while trying to find a way to close the dimensional tear opened by the Philadelphia Experiment. But they believe that the procedure actually will open the Pandora Box and destroy the world.

"The Triangle" is an intriguing an entertaining story that recalls "Sliders" in some moments. The characters are well developed but unfortunately the resolution of the plot is disappointing and confused. When the group reaches the base, in the climax of the story, it is very disappointing what happens next. The DVD released in Brazil has only 160 minutes running time, therefore 80 minutes vanished in the edition, and this might be the cause of my frustration with the messy end of the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mistério do Triângulo das Bermudas" ("The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle")

For most of the movie; i loved it,, the facts, storyline, acting, relating story back to Columbus, The Philadelphia Experiment very smart, Being an avid Bermuda Triangle fan over the years, and reading countless articles, books, TV, and movies , this movie i am the most happiest with as far as interesting story being told as close to actual facts as you would have it,, the acting very pretty darn good also. i just didn't care for the ending, felt they couldn't make up their minds what to do,, and after the "ending" the sappiness of what happens to the characters lives, i could have done without, i hate that in movie more than anything, but overall i really enjoyed 90% of this movie with no problem, and do recommend it to avid Triangle theorists like myself. yeah some of the theories are "out there" but plausible, considering the Navy, and the U.S. Government over the past years, so yeah i buy into the explanation and all, just kinda didn't like the last second indecision of the man in charge of the experiment, and the post character stuff .

Sci-fi channel is known for incredibly bad movies with occasional successes. This one is a keeper. A miniseries about the Bermuda Triangle that is done as a true story should be done: character development, cause and effect, a proper conclusion. I understand from other people here that seeing the series as a ... well... series, can taint the viewing pleasure. I took the liberty of watching it as a film, from start to end, and I was pleasantly surprised. The entire thing is about 3 parts of almost 90 minutes.

Actors. Lou Diamond Philips outdid himself, I think. Even in a secondary role, he had a difficult role, with a vast range of emotions. He played it well. Catherine Bell is cute as a whistle :) while Eric Stoltz does well as the lead.

All in all it is a film worth seeing, keeps you on your toes and, while some of the ideas are absurd and not everything is within the realm of logic, it is only a movie and should be taken as such. The effects are decent, without being too flashy, the music and atmosphere are also appropriate.