The Survivor
The opening credits of this film proudly announce that it was made in association with the Puerto Rico Investors’ Tax Credit Film Fund. And it shows. The Survivor is a ridiculously derivative mix of action sub-genres wrapped round a plot that has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.
Set in the 24th century, the film opens with our hero, Tarkin (Xavier Declie) being blasted to Earth - now a penal colony - in a steel pod. He’s been convicted of something for which there is no parole… but we know he’s going to be performing heroics later in the film - he’s got good guy stamped all over him.
President Bradford (Richard Herd), leader of the planetary federation is flying past the Earth when his spacecraft is sabotaged and explodes. President Bradford’s escape pod lands on the on the lush, jungle covered, green, oxygen-depleted wasteland (yes, I know) that is penal colony Earth. In a direct rip-off from Escape From New York the president falls into the hands of the Kyla (Richard Moll) and his medievally themed (original… not!) society of convicts.
Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of President Bradford’s close aides and grandson who also land on Earth in a second escape pod. This group are rescued from the tribe of savages that also live on Penal Colony Earth (where the hell did they come from?) by Tarkin, who, being a surgeon, is the only person able to survive in an environment as hostile as we’re supposed to believe this one is on his own. And of course, they manage to convince Tarkin to help rescue President Bradford and off they all go. We’re then treated to about an hour’s worth of inconsistent action and terrible plot.
And that’s basically it. The plot is simplistic, to say the least, and packed with cliches that have all been repeated far too many times in the past. While there are a couple of halfhearted stabs at plot twists, these are so transparant you can see them coming from a mile off. The pacing is slow and the action and effects are uninspired.
The Survivor certainly isn’t gripping but it isn’t quite bad enough to make me want to yank the video out of the VCR in disgust. It’s inept, but not inept enough to cross the line into inadvertent comedy. Don’t spend any money on seeing this film and if anyone ever invites you around to see it, make sure you take plenty of beers.
Sunday 31 Dec 2000 | Paul Pritchard | Action, Science Fiction
