Having already made its debut on the Sc-Fi Channel, airing on the "Most
Dangerous Night of Television!" no less, The Last Sentinel features action star
Don "The Dragon" Wilson, along with Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff as an
unlikely pair who try to survive in a post-apocalyptic city that has been
devastated--along with the rest of the world--by an uprising of the Drones, a
biomechanical police force who went rouge on the very humans they were created
to protect. Wilson plays a solider named Tallis who is the only survivor of a
special unit that tried to fight the Drones, but lost. He ekes out a living in
the ruined wasteland of the Universal studio back lot, until he comes across
Sackhoff’s character, who’s part of an underground resistance movement against
the Drones. When her unit gets wiped out by a Drone patrol, Tallis rescues her,
and trains her--much like the Karate Kid--to be a better warrior.
Once Sackhoff’s character (who’s listed only as "girl" in the end credits;
apparently the filmmakers couldn’t even be bothered with naming her) is skilled
in the art of war, the two of them take on the Drones all by themselves in an
unlikely and drawn-out battle in a listless and unimaginative film that’s
derivative of much better science fiction films such as The Terminator, Kurt
Russell’s Soldier, and even Sackhoff’s own BSG series. The Drones, and their
rebellion, are a clear reminder of the Cylons who slaughtered their human
masters on BSG. And although Sackhoff is a fine actress, she’s basically
channeling her Starbuck character from that series here, thanks to a lame script
that doesn’t give her much to do but become Wilson’s faithful sidekick while
shooting Drones over and over and over again.
Another very irritating aspect of the film is Angel, the computerized talking
rifle that Tallis totes around with him. Angel’s duty is to scan the area and
report enemy activity to Tallis--but she talks, and talks, and talks to the
point where it’s completely annoying. The rifle comes off as being an
exasperating know it all that quotes Napoleon right in the middle of a
battle--which is probably a bad idea, since the enemy might hear your babbling
rifle and know exactly where to shoot you. But director Jesse Johnson, a former
stuntman, doesn’t really bother himself with things like logic. Instead, we’re
treated to countless explosions and gun battles, as well as extended flashbacks
that don’t really reveal any vital information. As a huge BSG fan, Katee
Sackhoff was the only reason I sat through this mess. And for her sake, I hope
she got well-paid for doing this turkey.
--SF
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