Red Faction: Origins

Well... a syfy film that didn't absolutely suck.  Color me amazed.  It probably helps that it is based on a property not controlled by the Syfy network, in this case the video game "Red Faction."  No doubt the owners of the Red Faction property exerted some quality control on the whole shebang.

Basically Mars is split into several feuding factions in the future.  There's a bit of a tense peace at the moment but that can be broken at any time.  There's hint that there's something hinky going on in the deep cold deserts of Mars, but our hero is more concerned with more personal issues.  He believes that he saw the sister he thought dead alive.  Not only alive but working as a soldier in a different faction.  So of course he goes all lone wolf to find his sister. 

This is fairly decent all the way around.  The actors don't disgrace themselves and neither do the special effects.  I know I wouldn't feel comfortable riding in their flying transports because they look like they have all the aerodynamics of a brick, but given the low gravity of Mars that's not a technical problem.  So it's a good film, it just didn't have that extra "WOW" factor to make it into something special.  A week later and this thing is just going to fade from memory.  It is only because it appears on Syfy on Friday and didn't suck cud from the get go that it is as memorable as it is.