Outlander (2008) - 9/10

I'd been anticipating the release of Outlander for probably 6-8 months so it was a joy that I finally got to pop this in and experience all the crazy shit this movie has to offer. Seriously, the review on the back of the DVD says "Honestly. Best. Movie. Ever." And the front has the quote "Beowulf meets Predator". I couldn't put it any better thatn that. Outlander is like a mix between Brotherhood of the Wolf, 13th Warrior, Predator, and Beowulf which takes Jim Caviezel as this space traveler who crashes in the time of the Vikings and unknowingly unleashes this futuristic beast that starts killing everyone. Trust me, it's as awesome as it sounds. This movie was just plain fun, not perfect in any sense and there were some scenes that seemed cliched towards the beginning but nonetheless the CGI work on the creature is awesome and the secondary characters are all given enough weight and backstory to care about. I liked the flying helicopter shots of the village which showed off the far off mountain landscape as well as the production design and costumes to really make you feel like you were fighting an unknown enemy as a viking. Using some good editing techniques and use of darkness, the creature eats people like it's a buffet and has this cool red glow that comes from him whenever he uses his laser-like tail. Outlander definitely lived up to my expectations of what a monster movie should be, complete with all the plans on trapping it, and then the improvisation of going after it where it lives. Overall, great character development for everyone, a sweeping score that pumped me up during the action scenes, and a realistic monster that was really frightening when it actually recognized it's own name. Check this one out!