As Trace Adkins was first billed, I should have known to steer clear. With Ron Perlman listed, I figured it would get a chance. This is a Virginian clone on the level of what SyFy's Asylum studios rips off of blockbuster hits. Western movies are dead in a sense as they aren't the popular choice thet once were back from the beginning of cinema to the 70s. Because of their less popular status, big name actors (those that can act) and big name production companies avoid them like the plague. Every now and again, a decent remake will come out, but never any new content. For this remake, this was in no way the case. It seemed more on the lines of a CMT production with a has been country musician as the title character. All lines from Trace Adkins felt as if he was reading everything from a cue card. Ron Perlman's lines seemed read and shallow as well. The smallest parts in this movie were better acted by truly unheard of bit part players. The only things that were reminiscent of the original were the names of some characters and a few catchphrase lines from the book. I wouldn't even classify this as a western other than the props and setting. Star Wars could have made a more true western if put on that set with those props. It felt like a bunch of trailer trash lottery winners wanted to spend their winnings on making a childhood fantasy movie based off of watching The Virginian reruns. It was lazy, wordy, unpleasant, and bloated. Even the props and clothing was far from authentic. In one scene, you can even see the yellow rubber traction soles on the bottom of one of the character's boots after he is shot down, like a modern workboot sole. This movie is so awful, it is the kind of movie one plays when he or she is bed ridden for four months, have watched all the rest of the streaming videos and tried to stay away from this one, but it just kept popping up in the feed and just because there was nothing else to watch, out of sheer curiosity, one might break down and give it a chance, only to realize that lying on your back and counting the ceiling popcorn was a better option. And if you are a Trace Adkins music fan, you should know that he is a horrible actor and stayed away in the first place. What was Ron Perlman thinking for signing on to this?
Review of The Virginian
