Earth's future space exploration leads to its first contact ever with an alien race that may not be so alien after all.Earth's future space exploration leads to its first contact ever with an alien race that may not be so alien after all.Earth's future space exploration leads to its first contact ever with an alien race that may not be so alien after all.
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Eric Johnson
- Nathan Falls
- (as Eric 'Kiwi' Johnson)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Featured review
Ambitious and inspiring first outing
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.
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.
helpful•22
- Kamuizot
- Sep 12, 2009
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $23,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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