Bad Review for Syfy's Riverworld

This does not bode well for Tamoh Penikett, maybe this wasn't the right venture to get involved in.  I can't judge, as I haven't seen it myself. But this reviewer does not pull any punches.

Bottom Line: Disjointed and preposterous, this miniseries sinks quickly to the bottom.

Meandering over four hours, flowing in every direction, Syfy's "Riverworld" is a lot like the river around which it is set -- a twisting tale without a well-defined beginning or end.

Most longform programs executive produced by Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. are crafted for an international market. They are heavy on action, special effects and attractive stars and skimp on clever dialogue, skillful plotting and character development. In that sense, "Riverworld" does not disappoint. In every other sense, it does.

The movie, based on a series of novels by Philip Jose Farmer, starts in a crowded bar in Singapore. That's where TV correspondent Matt Ellman (Tahmoh Penikett) is about to propose marriage to Jessie, an Asian tour guide he has known for all of two months. Her delight turns to shock when she spies a woman nearby sporting a vest of explosives and reaching for the button.

Just barely after the last opening credit, Matt, Jessie and an assortment of friends are blown to Kingdom Come. In this case, Kingdom Come is the banks of a river where time follows no logical pattern, where people from other centuries are simultaneously reborn and where humans are the pawns of observer-caretaker aliens who look like refugees from the Blue Man Group.

In this Kafka-esque world of violence amid natural splendor, all of the people are young adults. Anyone past the desired Nielsen demo has been youth-anized back to an earlier time in their lives. Those who didn't speak English in their previous lives conveniently speak it now, albeit with varying degrees of accents.

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