Red Faction: Origins
Encyclopedia
Red Faction: Origins is a 2011 feature-length science fiction
television movie pilot
produced by Universal Media Studios and UFO Films debuting on SyFy
, it is the first film based on the Red Faction series
of video games. The movie stars Brian J. Smith
as Jake Mason and Robert Patrick
as Alec Mason, the main protagonist of Red Faction: Guerilla. The film takes place between Red Faction: Guerilla and Red Faction: Armageddon
. The film was released on June 4, 2011 to coincide with the June 7th release of the fourth game in the series, Red Faction Armageddon.
Jake returns and insists to Alec and others that his sister is alive, but nobody believes him. Jake decides to desert to Marauder territory to find her, and is accompanied by Tess, who wants to recover more technology. Jake ditches Tess and is discovered by Marauders that night, whom he manages to befriend reluctantly. The three make their way to Asimov Sector to find the White Faction, where Tess finds them and is angered for being left behind. Tess helps steal tracking codes to find the White Faction soldiers through a device after they could not afford to buy them from the dealer. Tess also discovers the soldiers took a “Firework” from the crashed Hydra, which is part of a nuclear reactor.
Back in Eos, Alec discovers Jake is missing and so he contacts Matriarch Omaya, leader of the Marauders, to grant him mercy for trespassing into their land. Jake and Tess find the White Faction soldiers hiding in a ship near the terraformers, which create a habitable atmosphere but also disrupt radar hiding the White Faction ship. Jake finds Lyra who recognizes Jake but believes him to be dead, so she captures him and Tess. A White Faction leader, Stoller, tricked her into believing her family was dead and he saved her, which she still believes even after finding Jake. Leonid and his companion, Jake’s Marauder friends, and Tess escape and return back to Eos. Jake warns the Red Faction that the White Faction took the Firework to attack Eos under the guise of Marauders, starting a war between the two. The Red Faction doesn’t believe Jake and arrests him for treason and desertion. Another White Faction dreadnought, hidden under the ship Jake infiltrated, fires on Eos and prompts the Red Faction to mobilize an attack on the Marauders.
Alec and Jake fight over the existence of Lyra in prison and are freed by Leonid and his companion. The group reenter the dreadnought and fight their way to Lyra. Stoller believes Lyra discovered the truth and is helping her brother, which causes him to attack her. Jake and Lyra team up to kill Stoller and return to the transport with Alec to destroy the dreadnought with missiles. Alec and Lyra meet once again for the first time since she was kidnapped. The missile launcher is destroyed so Jake plans to crash the ship into the dreadnought before Alec takes the duty upon himself. He says goodbye over radio to his children and sacrifices himself to save Eos from the dreadnought.
Back in Eos, Jake is commended for his actions and Alec is remembered as a hero of the Red Faction. Omaya, prompted by Leonid, revealed to be her son, agrees to form a new faction on Mars that has both Marauders and Colonists working together, which is agreed upon. Jake begins a new team with Tess and leads Lyra back home for the first time in years.
movie. Thus if the movie is well-received, it would be developed into a television series. Volition confirmed the title of the film and its June 2011 release date on July 19, 2010.
gave the movie a 7 out of 10, stating "In the end, THQ and SyFy did a solid with this one. Red Faction: Origins doesn’t feel like a cheap, slapdash film, and it certainly fits the feel of the franchise."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television movie pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
produced by Universal Media Studios and UFO Films debuting on SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, it is the first film based on the Red Faction series
Red Faction (series)
Red Faction is a series of science fiction shooter video games developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. Originating in 2001, the Red Faction games have spanned PC, Mac and many consoles, including the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.-Gameplay:The series...
of video games. The movie stars Brian J. Smith
Brian J. Smith
Brian J. Smith is an American actor who is known for his role as Trey in the 2006 independent film Hate Crime and as series regular Lt. Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series, Stargate Universe....
as Jake Mason and Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
as Alec Mason, the main protagonist of Red Faction: Guerilla. The film takes place between Red Faction: Guerilla and Red Faction: Armageddon
Red Faction: Armageddon
Red Faction: Armageddon is a third-person shooter video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It is the fourth and final installment in the Red Faction series, and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in various countries around the world between June 7...
. The film was released on June 4, 2011 to coincide with the June 7th release of the fourth game in the series, Red Faction Armageddon.
Background
As detailed in Red Faction: Guerrilla, colonists on Mars fell under control of greedy corporate interests, represented by Earth Defense Force (EDF). The Red Faction resistance group, led by Alec Mason, overthrew EDF with the help of the Marauders, a militant outcast group. The Martian colonies gained freedom and divided the inhabited areas between themselves and the Marauders, with disputed territory in between. Alec married his ex-Marauder teammate Samanya, who was labeled a traitor for marrying outside of her tribe. Fifteen years after the revolution, Samanya was murdered by a group a soldiers in white fatigues before her daughter, Lyra Mason, was kidnapped, and her son, Jake Mason, managed to escape. The Marauders were blamed for the attack, escalating tension between them and the colonists.Plot
The film begins 25 years after the revolution. Alec (Robert Patrick) has become a sullen, retiring man burdened over losing his wife and daughter, while Jake is now a lieutenant in the Red Faction. Jake is informed that the remains of the EDF Dreadnought Hydra—destroyed in orbit by Alec at the end of the revolution—is falling to Mars and must be searched for valuable technology. When searching the Hydra, with the help of Tess, an Earth technology expert, he discovers a group of Marauders dressed similar to the ones he remembers kidnapping Lyra, carrying away a device from the ship. Jake attacks one to discover it is a soldier who he believes to be Lyra.Jake returns and insists to Alec and others that his sister is alive, but nobody believes him. Jake decides to desert to Marauder territory to find her, and is accompanied by Tess, who wants to recover more technology. Jake ditches Tess and is discovered by Marauders that night, whom he manages to befriend reluctantly. The three make their way to Asimov Sector to find the White Faction, where Tess finds them and is angered for being left behind. Tess helps steal tracking codes to find the White Faction soldiers through a device after they could not afford to buy them from the dealer. Tess also discovers the soldiers took a “Firework” from the crashed Hydra, which is part of a nuclear reactor.
Back in Eos, Alec discovers Jake is missing and so he contacts Matriarch Omaya, leader of the Marauders, to grant him mercy for trespassing into their land. Jake and Tess find the White Faction soldiers hiding in a ship near the terraformers, which create a habitable atmosphere but also disrupt radar hiding the White Faction ship. Jake finds Lyra who recognizes Jake but believes him to be dead, so she captures him and Tess. A White Faction leader, Stoller, tricked her into believing her family was dead and he saved her, which she still believes even after finding Jake. Leonid and his companion, Jake’s Marauder friends, and Tess escape and return back to Eos. Jake warns the Red Faction that the White Faction took the Firework to attack Eos under the guise of Marauders, starting a war between the two. The Red Faction doesn’t believe Jake and arrests him for treason and desertion. Another White Faction dreadnought, hidden under the ship Jake infiltrated, fires on Eos and prompts the Red Faction to mobilize an attack on the Marauders.
Alec and Jake fight over the existence of Lyra in prison and are freed by Leonid and his companion. The group reenter the dreadnought and fight their way to Lyra. Stoller believes Lyra discovered the truth and is helping her brother, which causes him to attack her. Jake and Lyra team up to kill Stoller and return to the transport with Alec to destroy the dreadnought with missiles. Alec and Lyra meet once again for the first time since she was kidnapped. The missile launcher is destroyed so Jake plans to crash the ship into the dreadnought before Alec takes the duty upon himself. He says goodbye over radio to his children and sacrifices himself to save Eos from the dreadnought.
Back in Eos, Jake is commended for his actions and Alec is remembered as a hero of the Red Faction. Omaya, prompted by Leonid, revealed to be her son, agrees to form a new faction on Mars that has both Marauders and Colonists working together, which is agreed upon. Jake begins a new team with Tess and leads Lyra back home for the first time in years.
Cast
- in credits order
- Brian J. SmithBrian J. SmithBrian J. Smith is an American actor who is known for his role as Trey in the 2006 independent film Hate Crime and as series regular Lt. Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series, Stargate Universe....
as Red Faction Lieutenant Jake Mason - Danielle NicoletDanielle NicoletDanielle Nicolet is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born Danielle Diggs in Ashtabula, Ohio, Nicolet began acting in the 1990s when she appeared in a recurring role in the sitcom Family Matters. In 1996, she landed the role of Caryn on 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role she would reprise...
as Tess De La Vega – Jake's Earth-born sidekick - Kate VernonKate VernonKate Vernon is a Canadian-born film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS soap opera Falcon Crest from , the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in the comedy film Pretty in Pink , Mary-John Lovejoy in The Lost Colony Feature of Lovejoy and...
as Matriarch Omaya – the Marauder leader - Tamzin MerchantTamzin MerchantTamzin Merchant is an English actress. She is known for her role as Georgiana Darcy in Pride & Prejudice and for her role as the ill-fated Queen Catherine Howard in The Tudors.-Career:...
as Lyra Mason – Jake's kidnapped sister - Devon GrayeDevon GrayeDevon Graye is an American actor.-Biography:He is best known for his role as Teenage Dexter in the American television drama series Dexter airing on Showtime and the lead role Scott in After Dark Original's Husk.and as the role of Marco in the movie adaption of Meg Cabot's Avalon...
as Leonid "Leo" – a wandering Marauder & Omaya's son - Gordon KennedyGordon Kennedy (actor)Gordon Kennedy is a Scottish actor. Kennedy grew up in Tranent, East Lothian, and attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh...
as Corvallis – Leo's uncle - Gareth David-LloydGareth David-LloydGareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
as White Faction Commander Adam Hale - Lyra's love interest - Tamer HassanTamer HassanTamer Hassan is a British actor of Turkish Cypriot descent.-Early life:Hassan was born in London, England into a Turkish Cypriot family. Having sustained an injury in boxing, Hassan started to run nightclubs and restaurants and is now the owner, chairman and player/coach of Greenwich Borough and...
as Stoller – the White Faction leader - Ariyon BakareAriyon BakareAriyon Debo Bakare is an English actor best known for his roles in the British soap opera Family Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and the BBC One daytime drama Doctors from 2001 to 2005. Prior to this, Bakare guested on British dramas The Bill, Casualty and Holby City respectivelyAfter leaving Doctors,...
as Red Faction Major Ben Sharpe – the Mason's loyal friend - Peter Bankolé as Ezra – a Red Faction soldier
- Roger Ashton-GriffithsRoger Ashton-GriffithsRoger Ashton-Griffiths is a British character actor, screenwriter and film director.He graduated from Lancaster University and the University of East London , and began his career as a singer with English National Opera at the London Coliseum.He has appeared in numerous high-profile films,...
as Grogan – black market dealer at Asimov - Robert PatrickRobert PatrickRobert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
as Alec Mason – Jake's father, hero of the Martian revolution - Sarah Brown as Samanya "Sam" Mason – Jake's dead mother
- Samuel Davies as Young Jake Mason
- Isabella Blake-Thomas as Young Lyra Mason
- Mitchell Mullen as Speaker Ludlum – the Red Faction leader
- Harry Anichkin as the Asimov Bartender
- Ana Mulvoy Ten as Vayla – a scavenger at Asimov
- V.J. Kewl as Red Faction Tech
- Vlado Mihailov as Red Faction Pilot
- Atanas Srebrev as Miner
- Todor Lazarov as Ajax
- Hristo Mitzkov as Gunner
- Brian J. Smith
Production
The film was announced by SyFy on April 16, 2010, as a two-hour pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
movie. Thus if the movie is well-received, it would be developed into a television series. Volition confirmed the title of the film and its June 2011 release date on July 19, 2010.
Reception
GameZoneGameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
gave the movie a 7 out of 10, stating "In the end, THQ and SyFy did a solid with this one. Red Faction: Origins doesn’t feel like a cheap, slapdash film, and it certainly fits the feel of the franchise."