Wyvern: Maneater Series

I quit watching at, "Now that the ice caps are melting..." Don't need or want secular religious dogma preached when I just want to enjoy a decent B-movie.

Wants to be "Northern Exposure"... Tries to be Northern Exposure... Is NOT Northern Exposure.Importantly, this run-of-the-mill SyFy monster movie (with the usual vending-machine CGI effects) misses the whole point of Northern Exposure, the phenomenal and award-winning 1990s TV series that immersed viewers in the eccentric charm, philosophy and humor of an outback Alaskan township.Despite bringing in a couple of aging original Northern Exposure castmembers and fabricating rough facsimiles of the principal Northern Exposure characters, this movie offers no charm, no philosophy and absolutely no humor, eccentric or otherwise.Basically, a collapsing glacier exposes a long-dormant flying dragon which immediately goes on a killing spree in and around the remote Arctic town of Beaver Mill, Alaska, prompting the residents to take up arms and finally kill the damned thing.That's the whole film.IF the filmmakers had successfully reproduced the endearing and humorous community relationships of Northern Exposure in the first third of the film as they gradually introduced a mythical threat to be resolved in a frantic-but-comedic way, they MAY have produced a cult classic (in the vein of the original "Tremors," for example).As it is, however, the film doesn't attempt to create endearing characters or even mildly amusing moments, so the entire Northern Exposure gimmick is totally wasted; consequently, the movie comes off as cynical, serious, overly violent and dull.

This is one of those films that premiered on SyFy and then was released on DVD as part of the "Maneater" series, but this film is a joy to behold because the CGI is much better than the usual SyFy junk and it has a sharp sense of humor about the whole situation. An Ice Road Trucker (the always-enjoyable Nick Chinlund) stops in an Alaskan town and discovers that an ancient creature called a "Wyvern" has begun picking off residents and building a nest just on the outskirts of town. The always-welcome Barry Corbin as the town's loony patriarch and Don S. Davis (in his last film) offer the greatest laughs in this film, which doesn't take itself seriously like most of SyFy's original films. Especially funny is what keeps happening to the town's doctor (you have to watch the film to fully appreciate it). In closing, this is one of the rare winners to come out of SyFy's 200 original film stable. It is worth the low price for such an enjoyable film and you will see scenes missing from the StFy version.

Uhh... where to start. No, it's hopeless. This mess has NO idea what it wants to be, so it just throws in everything plus the diner sink. If you're high and want a laugh, then by all means, go for it. If you want to retain precious brain cells, steer FAR clear of this!

I almost didn't watch this one, as I thought for sure there was no way a script could feature an imaginary flying dragon and still somehow be good... but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. None of the thrills-and-chills, jump-out-of-the-chair scary scenes that I like in this one, but still somehow it all came together and I enjoyed watching i anyway. The storyline was decent, the characters were down-home, friendly-type folk (like being at a diner, sort of) and the scenery was relaxing. Very good illustration work on the predatory dragon (here it was called a wyvern), too; it came across as almost real-looking and believable. No kitschy fillers were added, because they were not needed. I thought for sure I would enjoy the killer shark flicks (that I saw recently) more than one about a flying dragon, but it just goes to show with movies you that find on here you never know. High expectations can sometimes fall flat, and low ones can sometimes be proven otherwise. This flick falls into the second scenario, for me.

I was prepared for the worst, with terrible writing, terrible characters, and terrible CGI. Well, at least the CGI seemed fairly well finished, unlike some of the movies where the CGI looks like the first iteration. Although when it stuck its head into the café, the GCI wasn't done well for that part. Even though it was filmed around Vancouver, one could think of the small town as being in Southern Alaska and the people being native to that area. A fairly likeable collection of characters that seemed to have some chemistry together. A couple of annoying scenes where the Police Chief runs out into the open rather then into the café, even though that would have been closer. And difficult to believe the doctor, after losing his arm, would have still been alive when he was found. And of course he dies after disclosing the eggs.So one has to suspend some belief, and not think too hard while watching the flick. It could have been worse.

In a teeny-tiny town called Beaver Mills, Alaska, with an unseen population of over 300 residents, there appears a wyvern (a dragon by any name), who begins to chow down on the locals (at least the few who made it on the screen because few people are ever seen in this teeny-tiny town). Fewer still actually show up in the plot and not many of them survive the dragon. The handful of residents who remain in Beaver Mills are anxious to start the annual celebration of the summer solstice (which consists of a few people barbequing in the town square). Little do they suspect that they are up against a diabolically clever dragon who cuts off their avenue of retreat by blocking the highway and then it knocks out the communications and power. Because dragons that have been frozen solid for centuries wake up with the tactical experience that allows them to instantly adapt to any climate, any situation, any era, any technology.............and they know how to use live bait!The design of the wyvern is very cool. The characters are fun and funny. And best of all, it features Barry Corbin and Don S. Davis in pivotal roles that they make the most of.