Buddhist Science Fiction—Movie Review

A few hundred years ago, Siyama is a small village in feudal Siam. They are about to be attacked by thousands of warriors who kill everyone in their way.

After the local Buddhist monk performs a prayer ceremony, three young people show up, dressed strangely and traveling in a metal vehicle. They say they are from the future and do not know how they got there. The Buddhist monk assures them to not be concerned about the future. He forecasts they will return to the future during an upcoming moonless night.

The three young people have unusual skills and tools, and they decide to help the village in the days they have left. Can they possibly make a difference?

Siyama: Village of Warriors is a movie that keeps one’s attention, partly because of the historical panorama, partly from the compelling story of three young people trying to help in what seems to be a hopeless struggle. Ana is a female doctor and an Olympic-level archer. Gift is a female history major who knows martial arts. Boat is a male student who is . . . got no idea.

These three students do things that seem puzzling to the villagers but make sense to us, the viewers: Ana wants hard liquor to disinfect wounds and needs needle and thread to sew them up. Gift looks at the cliffs towering over a narrow path to the village and wants lots of gunpowder. Boat tries to solder together parts from the car to make amazing weapons. We end up really rooting for them.

The movie has some disadvantages. Neither the students nor the villagers are that surprised at their arrival. Most of the battles take place at night, so it is often hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And the special effects for the final climax are kind of embarrassing.

Still, if you want to see some Buddhist science fiction, Siyama: Village of Warriors is a nice change of pace.