Sci-fi is one of those genres that can be incredibly satisfying as there are so many possibilities that are available. The worlds that were created in Blade Runner, Star Wars, and The Fifth Element are amazing to experience on film and there is no limit to the imagination. The same can be said of the fantasy genre where anything can happen and any creature or setting that the creator wants to dream up is fair game. That being said, both of these genres can also be extremely frustrating if the vision of the writer is not expressed in a manner that is both palatable and understandable to the audience. I had a conversation with a friend this evening about abstract art and that is how I find some sci-fi and fantasy comes across. The artist creates something that he or she thinks is fascinating but to a lot of people, it just looks like a random mess. The latter is the impression that Millennium Crisis left on me.

Clare Stevenson stars as Aurora, a woman who is what is called a "bloodmask". This is a trait that gives her the power to emulate different races. This is a rare skill that can be quite useful when various races are at war with each other. Aurora is accompanied by an android to an ancient planet and, along the way, I got lost. I hate to say it but I really have no idea what this movie is about and if it were not for the back of the DVD, I don't know if I even would have been able to give you that much. What I do know is that there is a lot of talking and not much happens during the running time. There are a few moments that captured my interest such as a topless swordfight and a small role by Ted Raimi but overall I was bored and lost throughout.

Stevenson is a decent actress which made this a little less painful to sit through but it was not enough for me to have any desire to watch this again. I would have liked to because I think the plot may make a little more sense on a second viewing but I feel some resentment that I had to spend most of the first viewing trying to understand which characters are against each other and piece together all the exposition that includes a number of words that are new to the English language. Ted Raimi is a cult character actor (and Sam Raimi's brother) but his presence is not going to be something that makes me want to re-watch a movie (aside from Lunatics: A Love Story which is pretty fun). In fact, I am not even sure why Raimi's character is in the movie to begin with as he serves no purpose whatsoever. Other than these two actors, there is nothing else in this flick that I can recommend.

I hate to tear down a movie like this because director Andrew Bellware obviously tried to make this work. There are many CGI shots employed to try to create the world that is in Bellware's mind but unfortunately there is not a budget to have this look the way it should. The result is way too many cheap-looking establishing shots. It would have been a better move to spend the time and money on a few amazing looking shots rather than filling the movie with numerous reminders of the low budget. This is where quality, not quantity, should definitely be the rule of thumb. The editing is another area that could be improved as there are a large number of edits mixed with a sound effect that got on my nerves after a while. The main culprit in this movie, however, is the script which, to a casual sci-fi fan, simply did not grab me nor make it easy to follow. When I don't know what is going on, how am I supposed to care? (Josh Pasnak, 7/4/10)

Directed By: Andrew Bellware.
Written By: Andrew Bellware, Anthony Litton, Laura Schlachtmeyer.

Starring: Clare Stevenson, Ato Essandoh, Olja Hrustic, Ted Raimi.

Picture Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: The transfer itself is fine but a lot of the CG effects are blurry and distracting.

Extras: First up, we get a commentary from director Andrew Bellware and producer Laura Schlachtmeyer. This is okay to listen to but I didn't get a lot out of it. I did find it interesting that even the producer had to ask a couple of times why things were happening in the movie. We also get two short featurettes about the visual effects and the cast. The cast segment is just Raimi and Stevenson talking about each other. Finally, we get a handful of trailers for other Pop Cinema releases.

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