Antibody (2002)

(In French, On Cable TV, March 2022) There’s no lower limit to the quality of “made for Syfy” movies, so seeing their name at the start of a film is usually a warning. In Antibody’s case, however, it’s a bit of a red herring: while the film can’t possibly be good, it’s far from being as awful as could have expected. (It also dates from a time where it was the “Sci-Fi Channel,” not that it makes much of a difference.)  In this low-budget take on Fantastic Voyage, a team of scientists is miniaturized and injected in a dying terrorist in an attempt to stop a dead man’s switch from levelling a city. Lance Henricken stars, with a luscious Robin Givens in a strong supporting role. Some of the film’s problems are most directly attributable to its low budget: terrible special effects, cheap cinematography, ramshackle sets and slap-dash direction from Christian McIntire will tell you within moments that this isn’t a film that flies particularly high. But the script has more fundamental issues that an inexpensive rewrite could have resolved: a tone that veers from an unconvincing seriousness to a far more effective playfulness, some tangents that go nowhere, many missed opportunities in developing characters, and a plodding forward rhythm. Still, there are a few cute exchanges, effective moments, a sense of atmosphere and CGI sequences that could have worked with some more polish. No, it’s clearly far from being scientifically accurate. Yes, there are much better Science Fiction films out there. But much as “a Sci-Fi Channel” original is usually a sign to go watch something else, it can also lower expectations.