I found myself really wanting to love I, Creator 2: Goddess of the Hunt, a 22-minute labor of love by writer/director Mike Cervello. Cervello is a relatively new filmmaker who self-financed the entire production costs of the film by weaving together the ole' tax refund, emptying out his 401k and even taking out a line against his life insurance.

Was it worth it? Cervello has crafted a sci-fi comedy short that he's targeting for cable tv and has entered in NYTVF (New York Television Festival). The film, essentially a television pilot, reminded me a lot of that SNL-inspired low-budget sci-fi comedy called Evil Alien Conquerors, though I have no problem admitting I'd take this film any day.

The story is relatively simple, though we do get quite a bit of exposition. Special Forces Cyborgs are sent to rescue Amazons kidnapped from their home planet by aliens. While on the mission, the cyborgs discover the Amazon goddess, Artemis, on a mission to save humanity from Ares.

Follow that?

It's difficult to tell for sure just how campy Cervello intends the film to be, though I do take a certain degree of comfort in knowing that it is actually intended as a comedy. According to the film's website, Cervello aspires to complete a 40-minute version of the film should funding become available.

The film's biggest selling point is its obvious irreverence and sort of light, tongue-in-cheek humor that works fairly well with certain characters yet falls a tad short with others. D.P. Joe Valenti's camera work gives the film a bit of a loopy feeling, a feeling that adds quite a bit of fun to the proceedings throughout the 22-minute running time.

As one might expect from a relatively low-budget sci-fi short, production quality overall is more hit-and-miss with some special effects coming off as almost laughably bad while others actually coming off as quite cool and fun to watch. The production design for IC2 is rather vibrant, a look that helps to energize the film even when the story itself sags a bit.

It's always challenging as a film critic to write an honest yet balanced review of an indie film that is truly a heart n' soul production and, quite honestly, even when they don't work at all I believe in seeing them to support up-and-coming filmmakers. I, Creator 2: Goddess of the Hunt may very well be able to find itself a bit of life on late night cable or on the underground film festival circuit.

For more information, visit the film's website linked to in the credits on the left.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic