THE LAND HAS EYES — ** — Sapeta Taito, Voi Fesaitu, Rena Owen; in English and Rotuman, with English subtitles; not rated, probable PG-13 (violence, vulgarity, rape, brief gore).

You can forgive "The Land Has Eyes" for its amateurish quality of filmmaking. After all, the movie was produced in the remote Fijian island of Rotuma, not in Hollywood.

Consequently, this coming-of-age drama, which features a few fantasy elements, was shot on digital video and employs a cast largely of newcomers and amateurs, most of whom have never worked in theater much less on film.

The good will that comes from that realization can only get the film so far, however. Its story is cliched and predictable — though there is a curiously hypnotic quality that makes it somewhat watchable.

"The Land Has Eyes" takes its name from a Rotuman folk saying about the karmic quality of nature, and the drama follows Viki (Sapeta Taito), a teen who has seen her share of troubles recently. Viki's father (Voi Fesaitu) has been falsely accused of theft by a greedy neighbor and is struggling to pay the resulting fine — and to make ends meet. And things only gets worse when Viki's father falls ill. So Viki decides to take charge of her life and solve her family's problems, having been inspired by an island legend about a mythical warrior woman (New Zealand actress Rena Owen).

In addition to the main story line, screenwriter/director Vilsoni Hereniko also spends considerable time retelling that legend, which is probably the most interesting part of the movie (due in no small part to the fiery performance given by Owen, from "Once Were Warriors" and the "Star Wars" prequels).

Taito does have a certain feistiness and definitely has some potential. And she's better than most of her castmates, whose silly, wide-eyed facial expressions are almost laughable. (But, of course, they're not professionals.)

"The Land Has Eyes" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for a few scenes of violence (including some brawling and some violence against women), use of a few crude slang terms, a rape scene (mostly implied), and some brief gore. Running time: 87 minutes.

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