"Antibody"

This Saturday Channel 7 is running a sci-fi movie. It’s been a while since they’ve run a sci-fi or horror movie in their late movie slot. Instead, they’ve glutted the airwaves with cinemuck like mobster, psycho-maniac, he-done-her-wrong and teen sex (so-called) “comedies.”

While the Phantom doesn’t hold out much hope that this will actually be a good sci-fi film, it is a refreshing change from the litter that’s been cluttering the landfill lately.

In last week’s post on “The Stranger Game,” I mentioned how being derivative is a hallmark of Channel 7’s late night movie fare. Well, Late Nite Landfill fans, try this one on for size (pun intened): in “Antibody,” a disgraced FBI agent and a team of experts are minimized and injected into a terrorist's body to locate a bomb-triggering device.

Sounds like “Fantastic Voyage” meets “Inner Space” – with the added element of a nuclear device in the hands of a terrorist, a la countless direct-to-video military thrillers. Oh, they also throw in the “disgraced fill-in-the-blank (policeman, judge, lawyer, military commander) who now must clear his name and prove himself” element as well – the plot of about a bazillion movies from time immemorial!

However, having Lance Henriksen as the lead automatically elevates this movie’s status, probably beyond what it deserves. A national treasure, Henrisken has appeared in classic genre films like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “The Terminator” as well as some lower-budget cable and direct-to-video endeavors. He’s had recurring roles in the “Alien” and “Pumpkinhead” franchises. On TV, he was the lead character Chris Carter hand-picked for his series, “Millennium;” plus he’s done some great voice work for the latest “Transformers” animated series and supplied the voice of Superman’s nemesis Brainiac in an animated TV movie. While most of his work has been in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realms, he’s had a few opportunities to show his range with choice roles in mainstream dramas as well. Included on his resume are a pair of performances in which Henrkiksen portrayed real-life figures including astronaut Walter Schirra in “The Right Stuff” and action film icon Charles Bronson in “Reason for Living: the Jill Ireland Story.” You can explore his amazing filmography here.

What really makes Henrisken great in anything he appears in his personality. He combines the icy stoicism of Clint Eastwood and Charlton Heston with the spooky off-kilterness of Christopher Walken and doles out the occasional witty retort a la Bruce Campbell.

This brief clip from “Antibody” showing Henriksen’s reaction to being asked for a “sample” illustrates just how much he brings to a part, and how blessed any producer is to have him in a movie:



The only other cast member worth mentioning here is Robin Givens. Of course, she’s unfortunately more famous for once being married to brutish boxer Mike Tyson, overshadowing a career of rather steady work. Acting-wise, her most well-known role is still her first recurring role in a TV series, as high school student Darlene Merriman in “Head of the Class.”

Director Christian McIntire has a resume filled with similar sci-fi cheapies, which only seems fitting since he was born in Roswell, New Mexico!

You can view the trailer for “Antibody” by clicking here.

Or watch the entire movie on Saturday, May 3rd at 11:35 PM… if you dare!