Borealis

I watched this 'movie' on a Saturday evening when nothing else was on, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. The script is good, the characters develop well, the complexity of the story starts moves along at a nice pace without rushing ... and then suddenly with absolutely no warning it just stops!

This was clearly made, and made well, as either a TV series pilot or as the first in a TV movie series (think Jesse Stone in a slightly sci-fi futuristic Canadian wilderness). But not having that warning going in left me hugely disappointed at the total lack of a conclusion. Obviously this wasn't picked up for some reason, but then it makes no real sense to have released it in its incomplete format.

As a stand alone movie, I can see how "Borealis" may be slightly disappointing. As the pilot for a new series though, it's awesome. Why? It leaves one wanting more.

In an all-too-near future, the arctic icecap has melted, opening the way for new trade routes, oil fields, mining operations, and other untapped resources for the international community to squabble over. At the center of it all is Vic's bar. Owned by a former cage fighter and now the customs agent for the Canadian government, the bar is the center of life in an emerging frontier town.

Like many sci-fi shows, "Borealis" owes much to the genre of Westerns. The characters include a likable town drunk, a good-hearted prostitute, native Inuit, and a couple characters vying for the role of lawman, including Vic. But, it comes with a definite 21st century spin, including an American archaeologist funded by the Russians, an activist biologist determined to protect and document what remains of the arctic ecosystem, and an enigmatic international diplomat.

While the premise relies on climate change, the show doesn't get bogged down in preaching about the global warming we are currently causing. It moves along at a fast pace, with murder, fights and intrigue as nations, corporations and Vic all try to establish dominance in this new frontier. And since it's in the near future, advances in technology are evident, but not distracting or far beyond our current comprehension.

What really sets this apart from other Canadian sci-fi and fantasy is the acting and writing. The cast is excellent, and the main characters are entirely believable. Ty Olsson's understated energy really carries the pilot, but I also found myself wanting to see more of and know more about the characters played by Bryan Dick, Michelle Harrison, Greyston Holt and Christine Horne.

To me, fiction is most successful when the characters come alive in your mind and you want to continue their stories. In that, "Borealis" completely succeeds. And I sincerely hope that a network such as Space or Syfy feels the same way, and will use this movie as the pilot of a series, as it seems intended to be.

I had brought up Borealis to one of its cast members. Ty Olsson back in November. I had seen a clip of it online. My first thought was wow never seen this movie. Looks intriguing. Plus Ty is a wonderful actor who in my opinion deserves way more recognition. After that, Ty requested fans to start promoting and spreading the word. Borealis finally aired Jan. 11, 2013. To me it was worth the wait. Superb cast, great premise, pacing, characters, scenery. Very interesting. It really has potential. Seeing it go to series would be so awesome. I really hope BellMediaPr, SpaceChannel and SyFy will pick it up. Shows like these need to be recognized and given a chance. I hope they listen to us fans. Because we won't give up. We support the actors and give them much appreciation. I really hope that in due time we will see Borealis's second episode and so on.

Thank you.

SURVIVAL CODE was a TV movie originally conceived as a pilot episode of a new show, BOREALIS. The show was never picked up so the viewer is left with this oddly lightweight film that takes a great deal of time setting up various characters in a specific location and then just randomly ends having only cleared up one or two sub-plots. It's an unsatisfying viewing experience, one which made me wonder why I'd bothered when it came to an end.

This low budget effort is a Canadian movie set in the icy Canadian wastes. The story is about various factions fighting over land rights. Although it is set in the future, the science fiction aspects of the story are kept to a bare minimum, no doubt due to budgetary restraints. The characterisation is okay even though the movie lacks big name or even recognisable stars. Bizarrely, some random scenes of cage fighting have been inserted into the mix in order to 'up' the action quotient. It's not an entirely successful choice.

This show is about as close to perfect as a pilot can get. It's futuristic enough to be interesting but keeps it real. The acting is stellar. It's really got some of Canada's greatest talent in it.

Ty Olsson and Michelle Harrison had some delicious tension! It's funny, wise, exciting - there's a lot of be pleased with.

I've wanted to love a Canadian TV show for a very long time. Honestly? I'm a little shocked that "Borealis" hasn't been picked up.

People need to see this. Canadians need to see a that a Canadian Television show can be this kind of quality. This is the kind of production that sets a high standard.

If you missed it on the SPACE channel - it's streaming on spacecast.com