Ba'al (2008) (TV)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Paul Ziller

Writers:

Andrew Black (writer)
Paul Ziller (co-writer)

Release Date:

13 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

A terminally ill archaeologist attempts to cure his cancer by retrieving the ancient amulets of the storm god Ba'al. |

Cast

Derek Anderson	...	Guard at Dig
Scott J. Ateah	...	Guard #3
Peter Benson	...	Dig Foreman
Johnny Cantiveros	...	Kaleel
Cedric De Souza	...	Sergeant
Lexa Doig	...	Dr. Marta Pena
Duane Howard	...	Inuit Guide
Scott Hylands	...	Dr. Owen Stanford
Michael Kopsa	...	Commander Kittrick
David Lewis	...	Risko
Zen Shane Lim	...	Tech
Jeremy London	...	Dr. Lee Helm
Malik McCall	...	Guard #2
Mark McConchie	...	Guard #1
Troy Skog	...	Miller
Elias Toufexis	...	Scott McCulloch
Nigel Vonas	...	Shariff
Stefanie von Pfetten	...	Carol

Also Known As:

Ba'al: The Storm God (USA) (long title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence.

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:MA | Australia:MA (2009) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Baal Productions

Trivia:

The storm god featured in, and also the title of, the movie Ba'al shares the name of a character who played a recurring villainous alien from the series "Stargate SG-1" (1997), which Lexa Doig, who plays Dr. Marta Pena, was a recurring cast member of in the last two seasons of the series' run.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The 'Lieutenant' and one other are shown with incorrect insignia. The stripes are from no known US military service, and a 'Lieutenant' would not wear stripes. In the US military, collar insignia is used for enlisted personnel to identify branch assignment and/or function and for an officer's rank and/or Branch.

Very funny... though unintentionally

This is a ridiculously funny TV movie, though I doubt the producers planned it that way. The dialogue is stilted, the acting is wooden and the plot is completely nonsensical. However, it's really good for a laugh. Canadians will get a kick out of watching for the ridiculous Canadian goofs. (Like much on SciFi, this picture was produced in Canada -- Vancouver, natch.) Listen for the secondary characters with their Brampton accents... the Canada Post mailbox in the background... and my favourite, the US Navy Lieutenant with bars on his collar and corporal's stripes on his sleeve (reminds me of the MASH episode where Radar gets a "field promotion" to a Captain-Corporal). To make things even better, the rank chevrons point downward, a-la Commonwealth usage. Hell... you'd think someone in the crew would have noticed this?