I don't want to be rude here (bah, who am I kidding ), but I hope I'm not detecting any surprise in this thread. To quote their own ad campaign: this is Sci-Fi. This is what you get and will continue to get from these people ... bad adaptations of books/old series/concepts that already have a decent following, heavy marketing campaigns, and misleading "presented by" silliness. This is the path we're on, and sadly I've been suckered into it myself many times, but no more ... don't let them keep doing this to you. The next Sci-Fi "Original" (term used VERY loosely) will likely sound really cool and then blow chunks per formula.

As for the comment that boycotts only hurt those who boycott, I would sometimes agree, but in this case I must express anger at the Hammer for a different reason. She's taken (no pun intended) all the fun out of a boycott. I haven't watched the station in nearly two years, and it's been too damn easy. This should be hard or require effort or something, but they're not even trying.

das

The next "Sci-Fi Original" is Cube 2: Hypercube in early April. No doubt the pattern will continue...

• Quoth bboisvert •<HR SIZE=1>The next "Sci-Fi Original" is Cube 2: Hypercube in early April. No doubt the pattern will continue...

<HR SIZE=1>

Looks like the pattern fails ... it doesn't even sound good.

das

Clemens, Monat, Alice... Only a few of the minor characters were actually from the books... The astronaut and Nero were definitely new, as was the whole "instant civilization" they were enslaved by...

I knew within the first few minutes the show was in trouble: Instead of ressurrecting everyone all at once, the movie just plopped its hero down into a world where others had already been there for 10 years or more, and could explain the ropes to them... It helped jump-start the action plot, but took away 9/10ths of the eerieness and awe... In the books, everyone starts from scratch at the same time... It's weeks before the mass hysteria and confusion wears off, and months before there are any inklings of civilization sprouting...

Of course, the whole "we can all understand each other" language crap was just for the movie's sake...

And they skipped the whole "no death" thing, which is one of the most important parts of the series... Anyone who gets killed is ressurected the next day somewhere else on the Riverbank... People routinely kill themselves if they're hurt or sick, or just to start fresh somewhere else... Those who want to travel upriver often just kill themselves hoping to end up farther north... People talk about the "Suicide Express..." Fear of death becomes nothing, only fear of pain without death...

I've seen Cube 2 . It's a pretty pale sequel to a decent movie. It goes for the high-tech CGI update rather than focus on what makes a movie good.

If you've seen the first one, you know enough of the story to skip the second.

Excuse me for resurrecting a dead thread about Riverworld, but I was just wondering if there has been any word about this becoming a regular series? I just watched the movie for the first time, and I was intrigued.

Doesn't look good considering Sci-Fi channel kept in on the shelf for about a year before airing it with no plans on continuing it, thus making it a movie with no ending.

It's on right now and I'm Tivoing it.

I watched the first 10 mins and its good so far, but then I came up to read up on it and now I'm not too sure.

There are definitely a lot worse ways to spend 2 hours... but it's ulitmately disappointing. Even putting aside the differences with the book, and accepting the movie on its own terms, it fails. There are some interesting/exciting ideas presented in the first 10-20 minutes, but then it just becomes a generic adventure show that you've seen dozens of times. Not terrible... just "meh".

It's too bad that they didn't at least attempt to launch a series for this, which would have given them an opportunity to explore the possibilities that this world presents.

Finished watching it... and while it did start out great (like everyone else here said) it quickly went the way of those UPN/WB adventures.

But I must say that it has intrigued me enough to find and read the first book.

Absolutely worthwhile to read the book. The whole series is really good.