Official Synopsis:
From beneath the sands, the ultimate evil will rise. In 1923, legendary director Cecil B. DeMille constructed a replica of ancient Egypt in the California desert for his epic movie The Ten Commandments. When filming was completed, he mysteriously ordered the entire set buried. Now a soon-to-be divorced archaeologist couple (Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin of Serenity and Firefly) and an Iraq War combat veteran (Victor Webster of Charmed) have uncovered the secret DeMille could not keep hidden... and unleashed a horror that cannot be stopped. Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons), John Aniston (Days Of Our Lives) and Academy Award winner George Kennedy co-star in this Director's Cut featuring additional footage not seen in the original cable broadcast.
  
Our Take:
For the first five minutes or so of this movie I was cursing my editor for giving me another crappy “B” movie to review, but Sands of Oblivion turned out to be a pretty good movie. I was initially skeptical because it was pretty plain that the opening scenes were digital representations of a desert scene. The sand was too smooth and rose to thin, sharp crests that were artistic but physically improbably. I mean, come on, if you’re going to fake it to save some money at least put some effort or talent into the job. And then the Eygptian evil force that shows up is as laughable in appearance as Godzilla from the 1960s.

Once you get past the opening scene, though, the movie gets good. It starts out a little slow but quickly becomes a good horror/creature film. Some of the acting is quite good, especially considering the genre. Also, there is plenty of action, death and blood.  I especially liked the scene where an excavator chops off the one college kid’s head and it just lay staring skyward, as if to say, “Well, there’s a weight off my shoulders.” It was hilarious!

Since there hero of the film is an Iraqi war vet, he has the skills and connections to bring some heavy firepower to bear on the shape-shifting sand monster.  It’s a classic battle of good vs. evil with good triumphing in the end, albeit a litter of dead bodies line the path to victory.

There are no extra features on Sands of Oblivion, which is a disappointment since I’m sure fans of Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity would have appreciated new interviews with cast members Adam Baldwin and Morena Baccarin who play the lead roles here..

Sands of Oblivion will be fun for most audiences, although it may be too gruesome for young children to watch. Other than that, though, it’s a good movie with a decent plot and good acting to entertain even people who aren’t fans of horror/creature movies.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: B
DVD: C+

- Tony Gray
Staff Writer