Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Sands of Oblivion Blu-ray Movie Review

Cool title, bad movie.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 10, 2009

This isn't a movie set...it's a prison cell.

If there is one phrase that can almost be universally tied to "bad movie," it's "made for television." Almost is the key word, as there is an exception to most every cinematic truism, but when "Sci-Fi Channel" also finds its way into the mix, well, chances are the end result will indeed be a "bad movie." Sands of Oblivion is no exception; a 2007 network original that actually starts out promisingly enough but, yes, fades into oblivion once the film gets going features all the hallmarks of a dreadful budget-minded release. Poor special effects, a tedious script, mediocre acting, and dull action are all present and accounted for. Fortunately, Sands of Oblivion stops at "bad;" it's superior to many of the bottom-scraping, abysmally terrible pictures out there, including some major studio releases, but that doesn't make it worth checking out. No, Sands of Oblivion is just bad, but fortunately for reviewers that have to sit through it, it's not completely unbearable.

Look! It's the amulet.

Members of the crew on the set of 1923's The Ten Commandments are dying. Though Director Cecil B. DeMille (Dan Castellaneta) knows that something is causing the deaths, he hasn't pinpointed the source. As a last-ditch effort to stop the killing, he orders the entire set buried. Fast-forward to the present day where Archaeologist Alice Carter (Morena Baccarin, "Firefly") is working on unearthing the old movie set. Coming to her aid is Iraq War veteran Mark (Victor Webster) who is helping an elderly John Tevis (George Kennedy, Cool Hand Luke) re-discover a time capsule he buried on the set as a child years ago. Unfortunately, his search revives a long-buried creature whose reemergence spells doom for the expedition. As people begin dying, Alice, Mark, and Alice's soon-to-be-ex-husband Jesse (Adam Baldwin, Serenity) must hurry to solve the mystery before the ancient curse can kill everyone in its path.

Indeed, Sands of Oblivion is not unwatchable. It has its moments, though most come early on in the film. However, the opening ancient Egypt prologue makes for one of the film's most unbearable segments. The visuals are unimpressive, the voiceover insipid, and the story somewhat scrambled. Fortunately, things pick up considerably when the action shifts to the set of DeMille's The Ten Commandments; the acting is wonderful for this style of film, with Dan Castellaneta turning in a brief but engaging effort as the famed Director. Unfortunately, the bulk of Sands of Oblivion takes place in modern times, and it doesn't take long for the film to completely dry up and grate on the nerves. It's got some dune buggies, some severed limbs, a decapitated head, and a bit of dull gunplay, but for the most part, the plot is dialogue-driven with spurts of violence committed against background cast members by crude Egyptian-themed special effects while the trio of primaries investigate the odd occurrences around the dig site and slowly piece together the clues that tie everything back into the film's pair of opening prologues.

Despite a haphazard plot that starts out strongly enough but quickly diminishes into a typical Horror/Thriller/Action style with an underwhelming made-for-television tone, Sands of Oblivion does offer a few solid performances and decent direction that keep the film from joining the dregs of cinema. The film's acting is shockingly adequate; though Oscar Winner George Kennedy's part is far too fleeting, his few minutes of screen time add some much-needed heft to the picture. The picture's three lead actors all deliver passable efforts, too; Victor Webster does little with his character, and despite plenty of screen time, seems somewhat superfluous in existence. Veterans Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin aren't quite as on top of their games here as they were in "Firefly," but then again, they can only really play to the material, and there's more wit, charm, plot, and character development in Joss Whedon's articles and conjunctions than there is in the entirety of the Sands of Oblivion script. Finally, Director David Flores, whose current filmography is made entirely of made-for-television films (Boa vs. Python, Crimson Force, S.S. Doomtrooper, Lake Placid 2, Sands of Oblivion, and The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake), shows a knack for directing here, doing well to keep up a decent energy level even in light of the good-premise-turned-bad-script, terribly mediocre television visual effects, and goofy acting from all of the secondary characters.

Sands of Oblivion Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sands of Oblivion is unearthed on Blu-ray and features a passable but visually uninteresting 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. From the opening seconds onward, this one takes on the look of a budget made-for-television picture. Sand and sky as seen in the opening ancient Egypt segment are flat and textureless, but a few scattered details can look suitably good, for instance facial hair in close-up shots where viewers could literally count each itchy strand. Colors are fairly bold and never particularly unnatural. However, this is a terribly flat, one-dimmensional image; every frame makes it look like characters and backgrounds were cut out and glued onto a sheet of paper. Adding insult to injury are poorly defined blacks and dimensionless white clouds abuzz with noise. Haloing is a problem here and there, as is infrequent blocking. All said, Sands of Oblivion looks fine at a glance, and even sports some solid detail and coloring, but it's too flat and lifeless to truly inspire much confidence.

Sands of Oblivion Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sands of Oblivion blows onto Blu-ray with a tepid Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; no lossless or uncompressed options are available. A most basic track, there's little definition, no sense of space, and hardly any noticeable surround extension. A few minor atmospheric effects heard primarily across the front half of the soundstage have virtually no impact on the overall presentation. Whether chirping insects, a gently blowing wind, or buzzing saws and other power tools used to take down the set in one scene, the track does nothing with them but convey the basic elements of each sound; there's no sense of realism, clarity, or space to any effect. The ancient creature's growls are a bit bass-y, but certainly nothing like what's to be heard in something like The Incredible Hulk. Fortunately, dialogue reproduction is sound, and it's the only thing of sonic consequence in the film.

Sands of Oblivion Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No extras are included, and the disc lacks any sort of menu.

Sands of Oblivion Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sands of Oblivion is a well-conceived but poorly-executed made-for-television blunder, another dime store-quality picture from the Sci-Fi (or Syfy) Channel. Though it features passable acting and direction, there's not much else that stands out as justifying a watch. It's a "seen one seen 'em all" sort of movie that delivers nothing new or noteworthy. This Starz budget Blu-ray features a technical quality befitting the film. With a serviceable 1080p transfer, a dull lossy soundtrack, and no extras, Sands of Oblivion is best left buried for eternity.