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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Animation/Sci-Fi Director: Curt Geda, Dan Riba & Frank Squillace |
When the name Turok is mentioned, gamers’ ears perk up. Around the time that “Turok: Son of Stone” was to be released, gamers
were waiting for the next game in the Turok series, only to be disappointed by an animated movie of the same name. With an amazing
history, including comic books in the 1950’s and 1990’s and eventually making it into a series of popular video games by Acclaim, the
comic books fell through and the last video game of the series proved to be a major disappointment. However, one should know not to
count out a Native American dinosaur hunter. In February the newest game in the series hit shelves, along with the DVD, “Turok: Son of
Stone.” The film takes viewers back to the original comic book series; there is no advanced weaponry or cybernetic reptiles here.
However, the film is filled with a lot of blood and gore and is much too violent for children to watch, but the story is too slow and the script
offers a lot of corny lines that will easily bore adults.
When Turok, his brother Nashoba, and Catori, the love interest of both, are playing in the forest, they are attacked by a group of rival tribe
warriors. The leader orders that the two brothers killed, and wants Catori for himself. When the warriors attack, Turok fights back.
Turok chops off one attacker’s arm, slices another’s head open and finally drives a tomahawk deep into the chief’s chest. After the fight
is over, Nashoba comes to congratulate Turok on his victory, however, still in his fight mode; Turok attacks and seriously injures his
brother.
Because of Turok’s action, the tribe elders want Turok banished from the village. Turok’s father, the tribal chief, is willing to forgive his
son for his actions because he was protecting others from the village. The elder explain that if Turok is in the village, the rival tribe will
attack because of what happened. So, instead of having an amazing warrior on their side, the tribe banishes Turok from the village to a
life of solitude. However, the attack that the tribe was waiting for does take place, 16 years after they banish Turok from the village.
Nashoba is now the chief of the village and Catori is his wife. When Chichak, the son of the chief that Turok killed attacks Turok’s tribe,
they don’t have a chance to survive. Chichak’s warriors are armed with rifles while Turok’s tribe is armed only with arrows and knives.
During the slaughter, Nashoba orders his son, Andar, to find Turok for help. When Turok and Andar arrive to the village, they find
Nashoba dead and Chichak heading towards the village to kill the women and children. Turok races after Chichak who grabs Catori
and runs away. Turok and Andar follow the evil chief into a cave which leads them to another world, the Lost Land, a place inhabited by
dinosaurs and cavemen. Now Turok must save Catori, face dinosaurs and try to find his way back home.
The DVD does have a warning that this film is not for children, but it is on the back of the case, though it should be on the front. The film
is very violent and has a lot of blood and gore not suitable for children. This would have been all okay for adult viewers if the script had
been more adult oriented, with a plot that could hold an audience’s attention for more than five minutes. The story, written by Valiant
Comic’s Turok writer Tony Bedard, is overly simplistic and too basic for those getting into the Turok series. However, those that have
been with the series for some time may find the film to be quite interesting.
There are a lot of flaws throughout the film that maybe the average viewer wouldn’t notice but for one that watches and analyzes a lot of
film, the plot holes kill the film. Such as, Chichak walks through the cave to the Lost Land but comes out of the cave riding a horse. Why
doesn’t Turok’s rage become a more integral part of the film? How can Chichak communicate with the cavemen and how does Turok
communicate with the pterodactyl and T-Rex, ensuring that only the enemies are attacked? How can the cavemen get hit by three
arrows and continue fighting in the first battle, but in the second battle, a single arrow can kill them. I think that some of these ideas
could be used for a second film but, according to the special features on the DVD, which state that there were budget constraints, a
larger budget would have to be available.
Overall the film is a bit boring for adults and too violent for children, but for those who have been a fan of the series for some time, this
film may be a great addition to their Turok collection. The animation looks like it came right off of a Saturday morning cartoon, which can
be a good or bad thing, but I think it worked with this particular film. Though there are a lot of plot holes in the film and the script
seemed to be very poorly and quickly written, I think that if they attempted to make another animated Turok film, they could make it work.
I personally would much rather see a live-action Turok film in movie theaters.
were waiting for the next game in the Turok series, only to be disappointed by an animated movie of the same name. With an amazing
history, including comic books in the 1950’s and 1990’s and eventually making it into a series of popular video games by Acclaim, the
comic books fell through and the last video game of the series proved to be a major disappointment. However, one should know not to
count out a Native American dinosaur hunter. In February the newest game in the series hit shelves, along with the DVD, “Turok: Son of
Stone.” The film takes viewers back to the original comic book series; there is no advanced weaponry or cybernetic reptiles here.
However, the film is filled with a lot of blood and gore and is much too violent for children to watch, but the story is too slow and the script
offers a lot of corny lines that will easily bore adults.
When Turok, his brother Nashoba, and Catori, the love interest of both, are playing in the forest, they are attacked by a group of rival tribe
warriors. The leader orders that the two brothers killed, and wants Catori for himself. When the warriors attack, Turok fights back.
Turok chops off one attacker’s arm, slices another’s head open and finally drives a tomahawk deep into the chief’s chest. After the fight
is over, Nashoba comes to congratulate Turok on his victory, however, still in his fight mode; Turok attacks and seriously injures his
brother.
Because of Turok’s action, the tribe elders want Turok banished from the village. Turok’s father, the tribal chief, is willing to forgive his
son for his actions because he was protecting others from the village. The elder explain that if Turok is in the village, the rival tribe will
attack because of what happened. So, instead of having an amazing warrior on their side, the tribe banishes Turok from the village to a
life of solitude. However, the attack that the tribe was waiting for does take place, 16 years after they banish Turok from the village.
Nashoba is now the chief of the village and Catori is his wife. When Chichak, the son of the chief that Turok killed attacks Turok’s tribe,
they don’t have a chance to survive. Chichak’s warriors are armed with rifles while Turok’s tribe is armed only with arrows and knives.
During the slaughter, Nashoba orders his son, Andar, to find Turok for help. When Turok and Andar arrive to the village, they find
Nashoba dead and Chichak heading towards the village to kill the women and children. Turok races after Chichak who grabs Catori
and runs away. Turok and Andar follow the evil chief into a cave which leads them to another world, the Lost Land, a place inhabited by
dinosaurs and cavemen. Now Turok must save Catori, face dinosaurs and try to find his way back home.
The DVD does have a warning that this film is not for children, but it is on the back of the case, though it should be on the front. The film
is very violent and has a lot of blood and gore not suitable for children. This would have been all okay for adult viewers if the script had
been more adult oriented, with a plot that could hold an audience’s attention for more than five minutes. The story, written by Valiant
Comic’s Turok writer Tony Bedard, is overly simplistic and too basic for those getting into the Turok series. However, those that have
been with the series for some time may find the film to be quite interesting.
There are a lot of flaws throughout the film that maybe the average viewer wouldn’t notice but for one that watches and analyzes a lot of
film, the plot holes kill the film. Such as, Chichak walks through the cave to the Lost Land but comes out of the cave riding a horse. Why
doesn’t Turok’s rage become a more integral part of the film? How can Chichak communicate with the cavemen and how does Turok
communicate with the pterodactyl and T-Rex, ensuring that only the enemies are attacked? How can the cavemen get hit by three
arrows and continue fighting in the first battle, but in the second battle, a single arrow can kill them. I think that some of these ideas
could be used for a second film but, according to the special features on the DVD, which state that there were budget constraints, a
larger budget would have to be available.
Overall the film is a bit boring for adults and too violent for children, but for those who have been a fan of the series for some time, this
film may be a great addition to their Turok collection. The animation looks like it came right off of a Saturday morning cartoon, which can
be a good or bad thing, but I think it worked with this particular film. Though there are a lot of plot holes in the film and the script
seemed to be very poorly and quickly written, I think that if they attempted to make another animated Turok film, they could make it work.
I personally would much rather see a live-action Turok film in movie theaters.
