''Riverworld'' is a
sci-fi
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...
/
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
feature-length
pilot episode for a series that was never produced. It aired on the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
in 2003. It was loosely based on the
Hugo Award-winning
"
Riverworld
Riverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). Riverworld is an artificial "Super-Earth" environment where all humans (and pre-humans) are reconstructed. The ...
" saga by
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
. Production began in 2001.
It was
rebooted
''Rebooted'' is the third season of the computer-animated television series '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired f ...
in
2010 under the same title.
Plot
In the year 2009, a meteor shower above Earth claims the life of
American astronaut Jeff Hale (
Brad Johnson). He awakens inside a jade-green bubble beneath the surface of a body of water filled with other such bubbles. A mysterious cloaked figure pierces his bubble with a staff, pressing it against his forehead, forcefully filling Hale's mind with images to come. Dazed and in pain, Hale finds himself crawling nude onto a beach littered with metal canisters containing
unisex
Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality.
The term 'unisex' was coined as a neologism in the 1960s and was used fairly i ...
clothing. Dozens of people from different lands and historical eras emerge from the water, also nude, and distribute the canisters. All understand each other's language, except a lone
Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...
man, who lacks the capacity for speech.
Hale learns that the "known world" is the bank of a massive river. Anyone who has ever lived on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
at any time in history is qualified to start life anew on Riverworld, reborn in his or her prime of life. Other cloaked figures are seen fleetingly, but their purpose is unknown. Food is provided, and the climate is clement. The need for shelter is easily provided by available resources and simple manual labor.
Hale becomes close friends with some of his fellow castaways, all of them from different time periods:
Alice Liddell Hargreaves (
Emily Lloyd
Emily Alice Lloyd-Pack (born 29 September 1970), known as Emily Lloyd, is an English actress. At the age of 16, she starred in her debut and breakthrough role in the 1987 film ''Wish You Were Here'', for which she received critical acclaim an ...
); Mali (Karen Holness), a former slave of the pre-
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
era; and Lev Ruach (Jeremy Birchall), a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish victim of the Nazi
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. The Neanderthal among the castaways is later killed by a man introducing himself as Lucius Domitus Ahenobarbus (
Jonathan Cake
Jonathan James Cake (born 31 August 1967) is an English actor who has worked on various TV programmes and films. His notable screen roles include Jack Favell in '' Rebecca'' (1997), Oswald Mosley in '' Mosley'' (1997), Japheth in the NBC telev ...
), a citizen of
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
. When Hale begins to argue with Lucius about the latter's ethics, Lucius attacks him for the leadership. However, their fight is interrupted by slavers under the rulership of Valdemar (
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
), who has erected his own empire and plans to expand it.
While in captivity, Hale and the others are joined by two more prisoners: Monat (Brian Moore), an extraterrestrial who died — along with the rest of mankind — in a cataclysm in the year 2039; and a young girl named Gwenafra (Nikita Kearsley), the only human being in Riverworld reborn as a child. During the night, Hale is freed by the hooded stranger he saw upon his reawakening in Riverworld. Hale hides from Valdemar's men and follows his fellow resurrectees to Valdemar's fortress. While freeing his friends, he witnesses Valdemar holding
gladiatorial games
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
, in which the despot is challenged and killed by Lucius, who identifies himself as the historical
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...
and subsequently takes over Valdemar's forces.
Monat leads his fellow captives to a community of fugitives led by
Samuel Clemens
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
(
Cameron Daddo
Cameron Peter Daddo (born 7 March 1965) is an Australian actor, musician and presenter. From 1987 to 1988, he hosted dating game show '' Perfect Match Australia''. He won two Logie Awards for his performances in '' Golden Fiddles'' and ''Track ...
), who has built a
riverboat
A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...
christened the ''Go For Broke'', augmented by Monat's technological expertise, to explore the river. Nero intends to use Clemens' riverboat to extend his dominion downriver. With the aid of a traitor in Sam's ranks, he invades the fugitives' camp, imprisons Hale and his comrades, and forces Clemens to show him how to operate it. Hale and the others overcome Nero and his men, reclaiming the riverboat. Hale kills Nero in combat.
Following their liberation, the band travel upstream to explore the Riverworld. Sam gives command to Hale but remains pilot. Nero is subsequently shown resurrected in a new body somewhere else underneath the river.
Differences from the Riverworld books
A number of liberties are taken in the film with regards to the source material. The original
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
and
villain
A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...
are replaced by other characters, the timeline of events is compressed (including the learning of languages which is eliminated entirely), and the nature of the resurrection process and food and clothing production are altered. Instead of a single meteor of iron, a "valley of meteors" with a constant stream of small falling objects provides the metals used by the characters. The Riverboat is powered by fusion rather than being recharged by Grailstones. The character Loghu is apparently replaced with another female warrior named Mali, and the alien Monat is radically different in appearance and behavior from that described in the books.
Production
''Riverworld'' was shot in New Zealand, at
Studio West in
West Auckland.
References
External links
*
*
Riverworld (2003)Rotten Tomatoes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riverworld
Riverworld
2003 fantasy films
2003 television films
2003 films
Films about astronauts
Films based on science fiction novels
Films set in 2009
Science fantasy films
Syfy original films
English-language Canadian films
Television pilots not picked up as a series
Canadian science fiction television films
Films directed by Kari Skogland
2000s American films
2000s Canadian films
Films shot in New Zealand