I recently caught this film on the Sci-Fi Channel, and I found it to be quite enjoyable. It is certainly better than some big budget science fiction films that I have seen ("Battlefield Earth" or "Solaris", anyone?). The cast of actors does an admirable job with the script, and the special effects are more than adequate.
The story line is pretty basic. A giant monolithic structure suddenly appears out of nowhere in Bhutan. The United States government immediately sends military personnel and scientists to Bhutan at the request of the local government. Meanwhile, China, the adjacent country wishes to do likewise, causing a conflict that will have a surprising outcome.
The monolithic structure appears to contain an alien force with technological capabilities far beyond that of anyone on earth. Mason (David Keith), an engineer suffering from an incurable terminal illness, has been taken under duress to Bhutan in order to try and ascertain the physical properties of the monolith, investigate its structure, and gain entry. Ryan O'Neal has a small part in which he plays the role of Mason's superior and appears to be a liaison with the military that wishes to take a more strident, aggressive role in the matter.
Mason, as do the others, eventually discovers that the alien force within the monolith appears to have healing powers far beyond anyone's imagination. This discovery does not prevent the United States government from making a knuckle-headed decision as to what to do with the monolith. Mason and a female scientist then try to right what went wrong. An intriguing outcome provides some food for thought, although much of what is touched upon in this film has been covered in other films.
For those who enjoy science fiction, it is certainly worth a rental.
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Epoch [Region 2] dvd movie.![Epoch [Region 2]](/pictures/Epoch-n.jpg)