Scholar’s Review #85: Path of the Storm

Written by: Matthew Clements

Release Date: December 2011

GENERAL

The idea of a Rifts film adaptation has for a (very, very, very) long time been an aspiration for many of the fans, certainly no less so for the folks at Palladium Books. The fact that film rights were optioned was initially hailed as a first (necessary) step to getting something put to paper, and eventually translated into something we could gleefully pay for overpriced popcorn and soda beverages to sit cramped amongst our friends to (finally) see Rifts come to life on the big screen. We’ve all got our own Rifts stories we’d love to see translated to the ‘silver screen,’ and I don’t pretend not to be in that club as well. Path of the Storm presents a first ‘kick at the can,’ so to speak, at a Rifts story presented in the typical movie script format. So, let’s see what all the fuss is about, shall we?

DISCUSSION

Rifting Hollywood

• “Wayback Machine.” A bit of a testimonial from Kevin as he discusses some of the events that transpired in the initial days of the whole “Rifts Movie Era.” To be sure, there was a lot of buzz on the Palladium Books forums and the chat lines, particularly when some of the names associated with the production company; none other than Jerry Bruckheimer Films (JBF), released in association with Walt Disney Pictures. Writers associated with some banger films of that era were also floated in the discussions. Things were really looking up! But, as is often the case, movies based on established Intellectual Properties sometimes gets mired in re-writes as visions of producer-writer clash. This is as much a Hollywood trope as any other.

• Years Later. Mathew Clements showed up to Palladium Books’ office in 2010 with a dream and manuscript in hand. Some hesitation is overcome in conversation, and a revision of the script is essentially what we read in this work. This includes the collaboration with Chuck Walton on the cover artwork, with sketch work for original and revised covers provided.

Movie Script Format. A courteous 'warning' to anyone looking to pick this up, the story reads very differently than a novel or any other typical piece of fiction you likely would find in your local bookstore. Unlike say, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings saga, which use very formal and complex sentence structures, or the more modern literary structure found in Warhammer 40k and Star Wars novels, this product takes some time getting used to. The formatting is that of a movie script: abbreviations, framing of scenes, and dialogue. That said, once you get the hang of it though, it really does flow fairly quickly. I found it worked very much akin to James Fenimore Cooper’s classic work The Last of the Mohicans, in so far as that book was written in a manner to be read aloud and enjoyed aurally. Both styles allow the reader/audience to formulate the visuals based on the cues in the book/movie script. It certainly isn’t a negative; getting some comparison to Last of the Mohicans is high praise. It’s just something to be aware of.

Plot. Without giving things away, the plot line for the script very much meets what Kevin described in the Rifting Hollywood section. This is a Rifts story. There is an alien menace, magic users, psionics, bionics and borgs, heaps of combat, no shortage of intrigue, and of course Coalition States involvement. I will mention that there were a couple of plot ‘twists’ that I expected, and my expectations were met (with great satisfaction). There were also a couple of elements that I hoped would not show up that literally made me groan as they came up (typical Hollywood tropes adding zero substance). Nothing that would want to make me throw the book against the wall in frustration. There were a couple of elements that surprised me and kept me hooked on continuing reading.

Dialogue. While the majority of the dialogue is crisp and keeps pace with the action, there are a few points where things come to a jarring halt. The lines just don’t match what a reasonable person would do or say. The little that I do know about script writing is that writers get paid the big bucks to work out one of the trickiest parts of any visual medium (television, movies, plays), and that’s dialogue. It’s a crucial element that can make or break a movie. I’ll be the first to admit, in my attempts to write fiction, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on dialogue to ensure it doesn’t drag on, stays snappy and moves the plot along. I’m no Adam Sorkin, nor will I ever profess to be. LOL.

Cast. Something I appreciated was the inclusion of the characters as eligible NPCs for a GM to leverage for their games. They are fully developed, with attributes and skills, magic spells or psionics, even full list of cybernetics and bionics (where applicable).

• David. Human CS Special Forces (4^th level)

• Kayla. Human Mystic (5^th level)

• Mason. Human Juicer (4^th level)

• Ginoek. Zalazirdi Cyber-Knight (5^th leve)

• Copeland. Human Ley Line Walker (5^th level)

• Fiona. CS Psi-Stalker (3^rd level)

• Ayzim. Simvan Monster Rider/Chieftan (6^th level)

• Holt. Human Full Conversion Cyborg (8^th level)

• Ramsey. Human Shifter (12^th level)

  
  

Supporting Cast

• Fiona’s Dog Pack. A few memorable Dog Boy characters.

• Demons. Something well-deserved was the entries for the various demons throughout the script. Introducing the Hindra and the Nohn.

  

  

• Average CS Special Forces Soldier. A “Red Shirt” that any GM can use. I would suggest there is simply too much information for a throw-away character, or it should be formatted in a simpler presentation.

• Average Xiticix Warrior. Another “Red Shirt” kind of entry.

• Average Simvan Rider. Another “Re Shirt” kind of entry.

• Spells and Technology. There are a few eyebrow raising pieces of tech and a spell or two that get fleshed out for the GM and any reader interested in catching the in-game terms for these items.

CONCLUSION

Current Assessment (6/10). I will start by saying, if this plot was the basis for the movie being shown, I’d likely start at 3 stars (out of 5) and work up or down based on the editing, acting, music score, and a host of other elements of movie production we intrinsically critique. It isn’t a movie script I would expect a major studio to buy into, but it’s a good story that I found myself enjoying as I flipped the pages to the conclusion. A note on the conclusion: it is typical in the Hollywood style of endings, in that it is also the most blindingly aggravating. I won’t spoil it, but for those that read it, I challenge you to prove me wrong.

Some notes on the limited artwork throughout. Because of the formatting, most of the images are reserved for the Rifting Hollywood section, or the final portion that presents the NPCs. The entirety of the artwork is the presentation of Chuck Walton, and he’s done his usual stellar work here. The cover is gorgeous, and includes some interior sketches of the concept art for an alternate. All characters and monsters also get the same detailed sketches.

Is it something I would wholeheartedly recommend for anyone looking to play the Rifts RPG? Honestly, not likely in the first round of books; there are some very good candidates that beat this one for the RPG experience. It’s a good read, presents a decent story, and flows well. From the perspective of a pure fiction piece, it’s worth getting; more so for the collector looking to collect all the Rifts/Palladium Books collections. It was part of a Christmas Grab Bag [The Bazaar #88: Grab Bag 2025 Unboxing] and certainly provided an enjoyable read and glad to have it on the shelf.

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