Fire Serpent

With a name like Fire Serpent, you know it has to be…fiery, I guess. This creature feature was on the wife and my picks for a Saturday night flick recently. The movie originally aired on the Sci-Fi channel, and it won’t be the movie that breaks the string of duds.

You see, there are these creatures that look like dragons (made of fire) that live in the Sun. Really. No kidding. Occasionally, one of them escapes, gets expelled, or something, and ends of on Earth. (This is extremely unlikely to happen randomly due to the vastness of the inner solar system. I’m pointing out a scientific flaw in a movie about a dragon made of fire). When they reach Earth, they want to burn things up, especially people. Why? Who the hell knows. They can also lurk for a long time, hide from water (The sequel will hopefully be Fire Serpent vs. Water Serpent, where the natural enemies fight), and possess people. It’s better not to ask about that one.

Way back in the 60s a young fireman sees one of the creatures barbeque his fiancée, and embarks on a lifelong crusade to stop them. Everyone needs a hobby. In the present day, a new fire serpent, or possibly the old one, is braising the countryside. The now older fireman joins with a younger fireman and a plucky lady who is leading the local investigation. There is also a high-ranking fed involved who is evil because, well, the fed is always a bad guy in these movies. A lot of stuff burns up against a backdrop of incredibly bad special effects.

Randolph Mantooth (from the 70s show Emergency!, and he’s held up well) plays the older fireman, Nicholas Brendan (Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) players the younger fireman, and Sandrine Holt (24) is the love interest/local agent. Robert Beltran is the evil fed. The movie is based on an original concept by William Shatner (!). Watch it if this seems in any way appealing to you. The DVD cover is better than the movie, which is often the case.
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