epoch be a film with an interesting and although re hash and derivative premise and harken back to everything from 2001 to sphere and this make for the scifi channel ( . ) film have interesting possibility and but be unfortunately ruin by act so wooden that pinocchio seem downright voluptuous in comparison . a mysterious thing crash into earth four billion year ago and and just a mysteriously erupt out of the ground near the chinese border and present day and cause worldwide electronic glitch and immediately attract the attention of the shadowy gubmint agency in dc who decide it their job to find out what it be and send in the g. i. joes to surround it and call in the world smart guy ( david keith . ) to figure out it purpose and and make sure the chinese do not get at it . how convienient that it appear in some stinkin desert somewhere and and not in the middle of and oh and i dunno and cleveland . this way the cast can be keep small and and the effect a lot easy to accomplish . some of the special effect and particularly the long shot of the thing and which resemble a tornado funnel make out of rock and be well execute . the thing have mysterious power and seemingly able to bring the dead back to life and and heal the malady of anyone who get near it and include the terminally ill character play by keith . but this whole premise be blow to bit ( eventually literally ) . by the horrible acting and dialog that sound like it be write in a high school class . ryan oneal and craig wasson and both of whom have practically carry entire film by themselves ( barry lyndon and body double for two example ) . be totally waste in minor role . the chinese who confront the american and both diplomatically and militarily and be cardboard cutout cartoon character . and the military sent along to keep the chinese away from the thing while they guard the scientific probing and and eventually order to destroy it and be simply interchangable and unthinking and faceless toy soldier and incapable of independent thought . this remind me of the early scene of the original stargate film and where and right after be transport to the other side of the universe and the soldier accompany the geek egyptologist and have absolutely no sense of wonder and amazement and but rather and they entertain themselves by throw his research book at him . since the time of the day the earth stand still and when all klaatu want to do be give the earth leader a groovy gift and get thank by have it shoot out of his hand and and in a multitude of other film since and hollywood have teach u that when we be confront with something of superior intellect and or of mysterious origin and if we do not understand it and if it doesn not look like a fluffy kittie and we be to shoot first and and ask question later . gun and gun and gun be the signal we want to send this thing . ask keith early on in the film . although he be call in to analyze the thing and almost everything he suggest be summarily ignore and laugh at and or cast aside because and well and i suppose your average 12 year old viewer find constant machine gun fire much more compelling viewing than a lot of talk or philosophical speculation . this be exactly the kind of film for people who hat 2001 because they do not get it . if all this wasn not enough and epoch have one of the stupid and pat ending in my recent memory . what could have be a fascinating film be thus turn into unintentionally humorous dreck . will humanity ever learn . not if hollywood have anything to say about it .