Two men set on a quest to save a child during a volatile period of interplanetary colonization. As they do so, a global crisis is looming and they must learn about the world and themselves.
Written by Brian Cachia and director Shane Abbess, The Osiris Child is a film that is set in a wide science fiction world that feels like it is part of something much bigger. The world built here feels like a whole universe waiting to be explored, but the film only touches one tiny part of it. The characters created in this world are interesting for the most part and entertaining to watch evolve. They have arcs that feel like they should be bigger, that feel like the audience only gets to see a small part of it. These characters go on a quest, an adventure, something typical of science-fiction, but the action here is more than just generic science-fiction, it has heart and feels like something that should be explored more.
The cast in The Osiris Child is in big part responsible for this as they are interesting to watch and the viewer wants to see them evolve, make it to their destination, manage their quest. Young actress Teagan Croft takes charge of her scenes as Indi Sommerville, giving a performance throughout the film that feels natural and gives her character and her plight importance. Playing her father, Lt. Kane Sommerville, actor Daniel MacPherson is believable as a father looking for his child; his desperation comes across at times while his courage does at others. His performance pulls the viewer in by giving the story an emotional connection. Playing Sy Lombrok is top-billed Kellan Lutz who has been forced onto action fans as an action star of late. Here he does good work and feels less like he was tossed in there for name recognition and more because he can actually play the part.
Supporting the actors, as is usually the case with science-fiction epics, the special effects are important and The Osiris Child shows effects, both practical and visual, that are done with talent and show that the crew behind them knew what they were doing and knew how to get the right balance between practical effects and CGI. The effects here pull the film higher, they give it more value visually and in story-telling by bringing forth characters and a world that is well-designed and well-executed. There are a lot of effects in some of the scenes, but they all work well and manage to blend in, letting the story be the star while they support it subtlety at times and more obviously at others.
The cinematography by Carl Robertson shows these effects and the world this all takes place in in a well-framed, beautiful, interstellar way. The film looks great not just from an effects standpoint, but also from a general visual standpoint. The cinematography shows that the filmmakers are definitely fans of the genre and the visual choices show the world in a way that makes the viewer want to see more while seeing just enough for the story’s purpose. These images are accompanied by music that is epic in scale and feel with a few cheesy spot, something of a normal thing for science-fiction epics. The score by Brian Cachia is interesting and supports the story rather well.
The Osiris Child is definitely a science-fiction epic with a family drama at its center. It feels like the start to something bigger, a world in which many adventures could be had. The film is interesting with a part around the middle that feels a bit long, but as the film advances, the pace picks up, and it becomes one of those films one can watch in its entirety easily and can get attached to some of the characters. It’s a fun watch with some adventurous bits that make it epic in its own wide sci-fi world.