The Fallen Ones (2005)

**_Desert adventure/horror with Casper Van Dien_** An archeologist (Van Dien) finds the remains of a giant in the deserts of Southern Cal, which attracts a mysterious man (Navid Negahban), who has diabolical interest in the colossal mummy. Robert Wagner plays an entrepreneur and Geoffrey Lewis a team member. "The Fallen Ones” (2005) is desert adventure/horror on a TV budget. Blockbuster comparisons include “The Mummy” (1999) and “Raiders of the Last Ark” with bits of “Jurassic Park.” Of course, this is by far the least of these. The locations are great, the score is fitting, Van Dien works well as the protagonist, there’s some witty humor and both the mecha-giant and mummy-giant are well done. The flick scores its highest points in the interesting commentary on the Nephilim and the evil spirits that produced them via mating with women from Genesis 6, not to mention the corresponding flood. Wagner probably only worked a couple of days, I don't know, but he was effective in the role at the age of 74 during shooting. Unfortunately, the proceedings are hampered by cheesy CGI, which is to be expected in a TV flick made in 2004. Meanwhile Kristen Miller is winsome, but her part isn’t big enough and it looks like she could eat some cheese burgers. The writer/director improved in all areas as observed in “Alpha Wolf” (2018), which also features Van Dien. The movie runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot in Trona in SoCal, which is a 3-hour drive northeast of Los Angeles, not too far before Death Valley National Park. GRADE: C+