The Triangle‚ a three-part, six-hour miniseries shown on Star Movies on Sept. 2, 9 and 16 at 9 p.m. allows the viewer to explore the mystery and thrill of the Bermuda Triangle without having to leave the comfort zone of home
Based on a story created by producer and director Bryan Singer and Filipino-American producer and screenwriter Dean Devlin, The Triangle was later developed into the screenplay by Rockne S. O’Bannon (Farscape, SeaQuest DSV). All three serve as The Triangle’s executive producers. The series features stars of film and television including Eric Stoltz (Pulp Fiction, Mask), Catherine Bell (JAG, Bruce Almighty), Bruce Davison (X-Men), Lou Diamond Phillips (Courage Under Fire) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park).
The Triangle centers on the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, which has become synonymous throughout the years with unexplained disappearances at sea. The area, which is bounded by points in Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, is the area where ships, aircraft and people have disappeared – never to be seen again.
Theories attempting to explain the disappearances span the possibility of the mythical sunken city of Atlantis to magnetic waves causing navigational errors. It has been postulated that the evidence of wrecks of air and sea craft have been obliterated by the Gulf Stream, which is characterized by swift and turbulent winds and currents. The methane hydrate theory also tries to give a scientific explanation for the disappearances. This theory suggests that methane gas mixed with water results in a frothy mixture that affects the buoyancy of ships, causing them to sink. In addition, small amounts of methane taken in by the engines of planes have been shown to cause stalling, further bolstering the possibility that methane gas present in the area causes accidents, the evidence of which is swept away by swift currents caused by the Gulf Stream.
But then, these are the explanations based on scientific theory. Explanations that are more difficult to substantiate include the suggestion that a time warp exists in the area, and that portals used by extraterrestrials are where the lost craft and people have disappeared to – perhaps finding themselves in alien worlds. The miniseries The Triangle explores all these possibilities.
"I think that what we have discovered, over the past couple of years, is that television has become far more daring," says Dean Devlin. "In the past, television was the safe medium and film a little more experimental. Somehow it seems to have reversed and we have seen the stretching of what you are able to do on television and it has allowed for enormous creative freedom and daring to try interesting things. As long as that continues to be successful for the networks there will be a hunger to reach beyond their grasp, and that is what this project is all about."
The Triangle promises to be an interesting evening diversion.