Aside from the appearance of a monstrous threat from a solar flare, Fire Serpent is a nearly unwatchable mess of a typical creature feature on screen. Characters are as clichéd as they can be, the monster is a complete disappointment, and the lack of any decent action makes this a tedious drudge through the goofy world of Sci-Fi Channel original fare.
Taking numerous cues from the unwritten handbook of cheesy movie making, an alien presence takes over humans who are then able to shoot fireball from their eyes. The critter has the ability to take the form of a small flame or giant lizard-like thing engulfed in fire. There’s potential in the design, though that potential is wasted by brief shots of poor computer generated effects.
The majority of the film is stuck dealing with painfully stereotyped movie characters. The government involvement in all of this is ridiculous, and the one guy everyone believes is crazy is, of course, the only one who realizes the danger of the situation. There’s no logic in thinking this movie could be carried by seedy government agents and someone who likely uses tinfoil for reasons other than stated on the packaging.
As for a body count, it’s hard to realize a threat to mankind when only a few people are killed. The undeniably corny “glowing eyes” effect to let the audience know a person has been taken over has to be one of the dumbest things ever seen on the network. All of the action is devoid of intensity or entertainment value.
John Terlesky directs this one, having previously helmed another Sci-Fi clunker, Cerberus. Much of his work comes in the form of oversized explosions. Fire Serpent is filled with them, logical or not.
Fire Serpent feels like nothing more than filler, and that’s what it is. It killed two hours of programming, though reruns of nearly any Sci-Fi Channel show would have been far more bearable. Any potential in the creature concept is lost in this cheap disaster.
Article comments
1 - Cass
I couldn't even finish watching this movie. The best part was the very beginning scene, when the creature takes over that woman's body. Watching Robert Beltran and that guy who played Xander on "Buffy" was just painful.
2 - A. R. Bordon
Good grief! How could they? Science fiction should have some "science" as mortar to a plot that must do more than just float on water that does not move, go anywhere, does not move the story forward.
Yes, Mark, you can say it like it is. Someone has to say it... Filler... oh, yeah. It is movies such as this one that gives us science fiction writers a bad name.
By the way, how DID it end?