2103: The Deadly Wake

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In the distant future, after the Texas Confederacy has gone to war and wiped out Syria with a deadly virus because of oil prices, disgraced Captain Sean Murdoch (Malcolm McDowell) is recruited to take command of a hulking ship headed for a port in Nigeria. The ship is operated by means of forced labor from slave prisoners, and its mysterious cargo happens to be containers of the deadly virus used in the war. The ruthless Proxate Corporation, represented on the ship by icy businessman Tarkis (Michael Pare), wants the ship sunk despite the idea that the cargo would contaminate all the water on the planet. Capt. Murdoch finds an opportunity to redeem himself in saving the ship and its crew of violent convicts, but the wily cyborg (Daniela Nolano) sent to sabotage the ship has abilities that may prove to be too much for Murdoch and his crew to combat. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Pan and Scan
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Malcolm McDowell - Captain Murdoch
       Michael Pare
       Heidi von Palleske
       Gwynyth Walsh - Martine Quiller

• Director:

  Philip Jackson

• Producer:

  Daniel D'Or

• Screenwriter:

  Andrew Dowler, Doug Bagot, Timothy Lee

• Cinematographer:

  Jonathan Freeman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Donald Quan

• Editor:

  Anthony Coleman

• Production Designer:

  Taavo Soodor

• Co-producer:

  Pom Oliver

• Associate Producer:

  Demerise J. Lafleur, Christopher Rutherford, Lewis Baumander

• Executive Producer:

  David Steinberg

• Executive in Charge of Productio:

  Elaine Scott

REVIEW:

• "We'll be the first corporation since Disney to join the UN," a character says at one point, and that line indicates the sort of bizarre fantasy this odd offering intended. There's an eeriness that permeates the screen thanks to its deliberate pacing and the strange ship itself (its "brain" is that of an infant suspended in fluid and connected by cables). The set adds to the eeriness by rendering things in hard right angles and glowing primary colors -- and in 2103, the ocean's waters are rust colored. Malcolm McDowell's hard-drinking antihero Murdoch is a tough read -- is he a good guy or a bad guy? -- and Michael Pare's button-down corporate toady is just as difficult to figure out. Those characters might amuse the hardcore science fiction audience, but others will scratch their heads and fast-forward to the action scenes, which are stiffly staged. Special effects are limited to some swirly representations of energy and some laughable ship-at-sea miniatures. Despite all the negatives, the gothic tone and otherworldly action will keep hardcore sci-fi fans rapt. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi