Precious Find

If one wishes to find quality genre fare they can do so. Why, just earlier tonight I rewatched 1977's 'Star Wars' for the first time in many years, Peter Yates' 'Krull' is one of my favorite movies, and I'm a Trekkie at heart. But sometimes we don't want something that is raptly absorbing, highly entertaining, and very well made. Sometimes we want something off the beaten path, something that we can engage with more passively, or maybe something with such-and-such a person involved, just because. Hey, maybe we'll be surprised, and a second-, third-, or fourth-rate sci-fi flick will turn out to be a lot of fun! It's safe to say that in no time after it begins, 1996's 'Precious find' shows itself to fall squarely outside the category of "quality fare"; to say that it's an extremely mixed bag is being incredibly generous, and "terrible" might be a more accurate descriptor. This is not good.

To one extent or another there is some value herein. Some of the special makeup that we see in passing is quite well done, more so than the feature probably deserves, and likewise some of the costume design and set pieces. The music feels rather generic, but isn't specifically bad, and a few of the cast members seem to be making an effort, in some small way, to infuse a smidgen of earnestness and/or flavor into the proceedings with whatever minute amount of screen time they are given. The practical stunts and effects are pretty swell, and while I don't agree with all the choices that were made in terms of Walter Bal's cinematography - some shots and instances of camera movement are all too chintzy - his contribution at large illustrates his skills. I would even say that while there's nothing here that's especially new or original as writer Lenny Britton ports a western-ready tale of frontier prospecting to outer space, there are decent ideas in the screenplay that under the right circumstances could have been quite fine. The picture isn't wholly rotten.

"Not wholly rotten" isn't exactly high praise, however, and for whatever kernels of worth there may be in these ninety minutes, 'Precious find' tests our patience in too many noteworthy ways. Beyond its root ideas the writing is painfully on the nose and heavy-handed, and often feels outright careless. That certainly goes for the characters, written with a dire lack of nuance such that what we are supposed to see as "character arcs" or "dynamics" are instead so light and hackneyed that all substance is robbed from the figures; with this in mind, one can't entirely blame the actors for their acting, because they have so little to work with in the first place and their hands are forced. Dialogue is often pretty awful; the substitution of the word "precious" for "gold" swiftly becomes overbearing, especially given the profuse repetition, and it is established earlier on for no meaningful reason that the story takes place at whatever passes in 2049 for "Christmastime." I guess the scene writing is suitable, except for the fact that wide swaths of detail and connectivity are sorely missing from the overall narrative, and plot development is routinely careless and lackadaisical.

Sadly, more than not "careless" and "lackadaisical" are likely the most appropriate words to describe the film. I've seen a couple of Philippe Mora's other works and greatly enjoyed them; his direction here is brusque and heedless, and frankly reckless at times, resulting in an overly brisk pace, overcharged acting, and exceedingly poor treatment of the plot. This also goes for Ross Guidici's editing. Computer-generated imagery ranges from being on par with mid-90s digital creations (whether in cinema or in PC gaming), to plainly betraying the artifice; just as some makeup and sets are alright, other examples are rather dubious. And while Mora revels in his small supporting part as Kosnikov, and Joan Chen tries hard to make the most of her role, and some players have small moments where they shine - well, those same players may have other moments where they simply do not come off well, and the unnamed dog that portrays "Goldie" might give one of the most reliable performances of the full length.

I've seen far worse; this title is not actually anywhere near the bottom of the barrel. Some aspects really are quite admirable. Yet for all the skill and intelligence that 'Precious find' might claim, too much of it comes across as a grab bag of ideas that are not convincingly woven together. Instead of connecting the proverbial dots to fashion an intended image, Mora and Britton seem more than not to just be haphazardly throwing things at a wall and loosely, flimsily piecing it all together in a manner that struggles to be cogent and sensible. As prime examples, consider the totality of Rutger Hauer's character, the voiceovers that Harold Pruett provides in character, and the ending. I see the potential that the movie might have realized were it approached with real tact and mindfulness, but unfortunately, with a preponderance of the writing, direction, acting, and craftsmanship, that's just not what happened. At too many points this all but comes across as a joke. I'm sure some folks will get more out of it than I did; I'm disappointed that the concept, and the cast, were so horribly misused. Alas.