SCIENCE FICTION VOLUME 1: THE OSIRIS CHILD

Australia, 2016, 95 minutes, Colour.
Kellan Lutz, Daniel Mac Pherson, Isabel Lucas, Luke Ford, Rachel Griffiths, Temuera Morrison, Brendan Foster, Teagan Croft.
Directed by Shane Abbess.

The title sounds rather portentous, the focusing on Science Fiction as well as the referene ti Volume 1. It will be interesting to see whether writer-director, Shane Abbess, continues his narrative into sequels.

This is an Australian film from the writer-director of the rather apocalyptic thriller about angels and devils, Gabriel, and another space exploration film, Infini. While the production is Australian, most of the characters speak with mid-Pacific accents, making it accessible to the broader American market.

The screenplay is divided into chapters with headings, the device also helping the action to move along more quickly.

The film opens with a father, Kane, involved with work on the space station on a distant planet spending some time with his daughter, bonding with her after devoting himself to his work and separating from his wife and child. He promises to be closer to his daughter. He is played by Daniel Mac Pherson and she is a lively young girl played by Teagan Croft.

Meanwhile, back on the space station, there is an impending crisis, an apocalyptic crisis, being managed by the General, played by Rachel Griffiths. She has a scenario to wreak wide destruction by allowing the city of the planet to be destroyed, with great loss of life. She is rather cold and calculating.

Kane then decides to take a plane, lands on the ground and makes his way to the city to ensure the safety of his daughter. Life on the ground is also rather precarious, especially because of experiments going on whereby prisoners in the high security jail are being transformed into monstrous creatures. The prison is presided over by another cold and calculating character played by Temuera Morrison.

Kane meets Sy (American Kellan Lutz) in the desert and they make an agreement to help each other. As the narrative goes on, the audience learns more and more about Sy, his work as a nurse, an accident involving his wife, her death, his killing the young man responsible for the accident and his being sentenced to the prison, as well as his escape.

While the film is reminiscent of many space adventures, it shows an influence of the Mad Max films when the two men encounter a bar, pretty raucous, and Bill and Gyp (Leon Ford and Isobel Lucas), who have a truck but take a long time to be persuaded (as well as the money), to drive the two men to the city. They also encounter two isolated men who sell them weapons – but, the monsters are on the prowl and soon go into action.

The film moves apace with the rescue of the daughter, driving into the desert, in search of a tunnel with a coded entrance where they can escape the apocalyptic destruction.

In many ways, familiar themes, but presented with some verve – and the added horror of the monstrous beasts, especially in the climax of the film, rather unexpected.

1. Science Fiction? Futuristic stories? An Australian film? American style? Explorations of space, other planets? The influence of the Mad Max films?

2. The use of chapters, titles? Pushing the narrative ahead?

3. The desert locations, building Coober Pedy, the headquarters in the sky, the city and the city sequences, the prison and hardships, the open roads? The musical score?

4. The introduction to Kane, the outing with his daughter, the separation from his wife? The bond with his daughter? His work, supervision and repair? In the headquarters in the sky?

5. The situation, dangers, the personality and role of the general, communication with her staff? The variety of personnel, their jobs, responsibilities? The deadline, the countdown? The plan, destruction? The cold calculations for destruction and people’s deaths? The return to the headquarters, given the time, the crisis?

6. The present situation, the creation of the creatures, the experiments, monstrous, destruction, the threats? The transformation of the prisoners?

7. Kane, the discussions on the headquarters, his friend giving the advice, taking the plane, landing, the plan to search for his daughter, the encounter with Sy?

8. Sy, his story, the flashbacks and the gradual construction of his life: as a nurse, the injuries to his wife, the death, his attack on the person responsible for the death, going to prison, his interactions with the prisoners? The warden of the prison, his stances, superior, threats? The experiences, his companions, the escape? The encounter with Kane, decision to help, the progress through the desert?

9. Kane and his needs, ammunition, the vehicle? The encounter with Bill and Gyp, in the bar, the slower reactions, raucous? The dealing and the plans, the money and the costs? Going to the men and getting the weapons? The men later being attacked by the monsters? Bill and Gyp and their participation, the attack, Bill’s death? Going to the city, going into the building, the ruins, the danger, fighting the daughter, the rescue? The truck, the pursuit – and memories of Mad Max?

10. The truck, Gyp and her driving, the plane hovering over them, the attack, Kane’s death? The effect on his daughter?

11. Going through the desert, arriving at the tunnel, the code, Gyp, Sy and his being transformed into a creature?

12. The daughter left alone, with the transformed Sy, the year passing, the group coming, looking for survivors? The squad, their deaths? The return to the headquarters? Indications for Chapter 2?