Riverworld

I can't write about Riverworld and not comment about the blue people. What in the world is the deal with all the blue aliens lately? Avatar, now Riverworld, and there's a Smurfs movies coming out next year. It's like all the writers got together and said, "Ok, I'm tired of all the jokes about little green men. Its time for blue men. Preferably tall and thin, but if you want to stay tiny you go for it." Sheesh!

Riverworld - a classic sci-fi book series by Philip Jose Farmer - was recently made into a mini-series by the SyFy Channel. Since I've downgraded my cable I pretty much figured I was out of luck in watching it - but then I remembered my lovely Netflix account. Thank goodness for instant watch!

I must confess to having never read the books, so I broke my cardinal rule by watching the movie first. I was pleasant surprised that it wasn't typical SyFy movie fare. The cast of A-list actors (Alan Cumming anyone?) was stellar and I found it highly engaging. I was more than happy to see Tahmoh Penikett from the new Battlestar Galactica - I seriously love that show - and he makes a great lead.

The gist of the story is this: when people die they can be brought back to Riverworld, a place where they never seem to age and there are a variety of rules that restrict what they can and cannot do. Saying too much would ruin the story, but this is definitely worth your time. The scenes were gorgeous, the transitions were well done, and I found myself wanting the story to continue when it ended. Perhaps another mini-series will occur in the future - if I'm lucky!