Shubian's Rift

USA • 2007 • 110m •

• Directed by: Joseph M. Dwyer. • Starring: Jeff Allen, Matthew Bailey, Melissa Bauer, Rob Brun, Caroline Carr, Joey Cleary, Mark Davies, David Dorrell, Jennifer Dorrell, Joe Dwyer, Kevin Dwyer, Maureen Dwyer, Stan Gentry. • Music by: Ellsworth Hall.

The year is 2126. In another solar system 100 light years away from Earth there are two civilizations existing on two planets, Palo and Virra. Currently there is civil unrest between the two ruling parties concerning a third planet, Atslo. Virra takes great measures to perform excavation on Atslo despite Palo's policing efforts to stop it. Through Virra's growing technology comes a device that is to assure Virra's success. This device hurtles our alien hero, Jin through a wormhole to our solar system where he encounters the Journeyman and Captain Shubian. Captain Shubian's task becomes two-fold: send Jin home through the wormhole, and go through it himself with his crew to investigate what may be a precursor to an invasion of Earth and the inner solar system. What Shubian finds is a web of lies and deception along with a mystery on a multi-solar system scale. Exposed agendas and motives mask a hidden truth 6,000 years old involving not only Palo and Virra, but Earth itself. Shubian finds himself in the middle of an escalating interstellar war with no way to back out. If he is not careful in his attempts to end the conflict, his actions may involve Earth in the war and get the Journeyman destroyed in the process

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Trailer

2:11

Review:

Shubian's Rift represents the tip of a film making movement that will change the way audience's access and appreciate the medium of film and film making. With a short budget, amateur cast and some basic film making technology Joe Dwyer has put his film up for comparison in the same genre as Star Trek, BattleStar, and even the most recent TV show Defying Gravity. As an audience we have no choice but to make direct comparisons to these high budget professional productions. Until recently no independent film maker could have even dreamed of making a film this ambitious with as limited resources as Shubian had and as far as I know no one else has even tried. There is a clean professional look about the film that simultaneously helps and hurts the movie in relation to its audience. Too often independent film makers use spoof, satire and sloppy film making to justify their films flaws. Shubian chooses to swing for the fences and present in every shot the most professional image possible. From a technical standpoint the film is very well made. However, this precision of image is also the films great liability. I could almost believe that Shubian was created by the Sci Fi channel (I refuse to use their new lettering) at a budget 10 times that of this film. The technical craftsmanship sells Shubian at a much higher level of film making skill and material than it actually represents. Shubian's Rift is a labor of love. Compared with the filler that passes as movies coming out of professional production studios Shubian is at the heart of what true creation should be. Shubian's Rift is an expression of Joy and Wonder within in the medium of film.

This film does have pacing issues and an overly complex plot. The CGI space battle sequences aren't dynamic enough to fix the attention of the audience. By the time we return to the dialog and physical sets the attention of the audience has lapsed and confusion sets in. The plot needs to be cut to its essence in order to fully function. Too much is put on the dialog and the actors ability to present the story through the spoken word. With too much dialog a science fiction audience will simply stop listening. Too much new information is presented in too short a time frame to keep it all straight. Each story element is understandable by itself but taken together the audience only hears a cacophony of jargon.

Independent film makers should be grateful to Shubian for striking out with courage and enthusiasm into the full potential of what digital film-making has to offer. By creating a robust original narrative without the snarky and cynical fan film base that we see too often on Youtube and elsewhere, Shubian presents what is possible for those willing to take risks. I bought this film on DVD at a Sci Fi convention a couple of years back. I have watched it several times. Each time I tell myself that I could make a film better than this one. But I haven't. Therein lies the point. If you haven't made a film as ambitious, technically savvy or as creative as Shubian's Rift I suggest you watch this film with the respect and wonder it deserves. Despite its flaws it this film can inspire and set an example for others to follow. The community of small budget, big dream film makers is lucky to have Shubian's Rift as a model to follow.

Review by Kamuizot from the Internet Movie Database.

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