It’s presented by X-Men director Bryan Singer (you know, the one who made the good X flicks) and Dean Devlin (yes, he of the original Stargate movie and Independence Day fame). It’s written and Executive Produced by Rockne S. O’Bannon (of Farscape legend). It stars cool people I really like: Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Sam Neill, Bruce Davison… and, um, Lou Diamond Phillips.

But it is also a Sci-Fi Channel mini-series so… well, when I happened to pick this up on DVD last week, my hopes weren’t necessarily high.

My hopes, it turns out, are foolish. They should have been high. They should have been high apple pie in the sky hopes. Because The Triangle is really kind of marvelous.

Really.

A quick précis of the goings on: billionaire shipping magnate Eric Benerall (Sam Neill) is tired of all his tankers and freighters and such disappearing in the depths of the puzzling enigma that is the Bermuda Triangle. (Yes, friends, the title has not led you astray: ‘tis the Bermuda form of Triangle with which we have to deal herein.) He thence gathers together a small and disparate team of experts (though not, I’d point out, the expertiest of experts) and offers to pay them a considerable sum each if they can solve the riddle once and for all. He calls unto himself skeptical journalist Howard Thomas (Eric Stolz), skeptical marine science person Emily Patterson (Catherine Bell), skeptical X-treme sporty meteorologist Bruce Geller (Michael E. Rodgers) and true believer psychic-on-the-fritz Stan Lathem (Bruce Davison).

They accept the job, and thereafter follow six hours of jumping between possible realities, chasing down potential leads, uncovering sinister Government experiments, exploring complex interpersonal relationships, spouting sciencey technobabble and getting very, very wet.

Oh, and Greenpeace activist Meeno Paloma (Lou Diamond Phillips) has trouble keeping track of his kids.

It’s better than I’m making it sound.

THINGS I REALLY LOVE ABOUT THE TRIANGLE

The Philadelphia Experiment is one of my favorite movies, and there’s more than a bit of that in this mix.

Also, I suspect there lies an homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s series ending two-parter “All Good Things…” in here somewhere.

Eric Stoltz. I really love him. He is the only reason I even gave Caprica a try, and he is great here. (On Caprica, however…)

Catherine Bell. And her character’s interesting, if slightly peculiar, subplot.

Sam Neill. Always a pleasure.

Bruce Davison. Ditto.

Lou Diamond Phillips. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. I’ll confess I’ve never thought too much of his abilities -- though I will ever and always remain a devoted admirer of his scenery-annihilating exploits in Bats -- but after watching The Triangle I have become an LDP convert. He gives a truly astonishing performance here. And considering he doesn’t really say very much in the whole six hours, and is also kind of the B plot, that is pretty extraordinary.

There's a submarine!

The fate of Bruce Geller (Michael E. Rodgers). Ordinarily, pressing the cosmic reset button would annoy the hell out of me, but here, the results are so wholly unexpected that it comes as a paradigm-shattering surprise. (Well, not for Lou Diamond Phillips, but he’s so awesome in this, his character deserves a happy ending.)

Changing room scene!

Old lady little girl!

Pretty great special effects--especially for TV.

Very funny dialogue! (Although that’s not always on purpose.)

The privatization of scientific inquiry, and multi-million dollar bonuses for work well done. I’m all for it! (As Buzz Aldrin says, about space exploration: “In my mind, public space travel will precede efforts toward exploration -- be it returning to the moon, going to Mars, visiting asteroids, or whatever seems appropriate. We've got millions and millions of people who want to go into space, who are willing to pay. When you figure in the payload potential of customers, everything changes.” And, no, that is no less of a good idea now that he has appeared on Dancing with the Stars and released a rap song.)

Fascinating take on the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon.

Lou Diamond Phillips. Seriously, he’s very good.

Oh, and did I mention the submarine? I really love submarines.

THINGS I LOVE LESS ABOUT THE TRIANGLE:

Michael E. Rodgers’s “Australian” accent. And, I’m sorry, but since when was there such a dearth of Australian actors in Hollywood that it’s necessary to cast an American in the role? Why do they cast Americans, or Canadians, or the British, or even – insult of all insults! – New Zealanders (hi, Sam Neill!) to play these roles? It seems a foolish waste of a dialect coach’s salary. Prime Time US TV is peopled with Australians: Chuck’s Yvonne Strahovski, Fringe’s Anna Torv, The Mentalist’s Simon Baker, House’s Jesse Spencer (miraculously with accent intact), and that’s just this current season. Seasons past saw Anthony La Paglia in Without a Trace and Julian McMahon in Nip/Tuck and Melissa George in Alias and… my point is, there are definitely acting Australians out there for the asking, and Rockne S. O’Bannon worked with more than a few of them when filming Farscape, so surely he could tell that Rodgers’s attempt at the accent was really, really wrong? Why not just have him be American (or let him use his native Scottish brogue) and be done with it? Huh? (Moving on…)

Time paradoxes. I’m on record as being staunchly anti-time travel, and time paradoxes are mostly the reason why. They make me cross.

The fact that the entire US Navy is portrayed as being completely ruthless and unutterably stupid.

Not sure if billionaire shipping magnates still exist.

As Sam Neill’s slavishly devoted assistant Ackerman, John Sloan is both engaging and adorable, but makes some puzzling choices with his facial expressions. I can only assume he was going for “misdirectiony red herring”, ‘cause otherwise he’s just giving weirdly significant portent to random actions -- like pouring his boss a glass of whiskey -- that just doesn’t make any sense.

Fascinating take or not, I still don’t know how I really feel about the whole Bermuda Triangle mystery as a concept. I mean, it’s definitely intriguing, but it’s no Dropa Stones, no Crystal Skulls, no Loch Ness Monster. No Miss Parker’s First Name.

But…

ALL IN ALL:

I love way more about this mini-series than I love less, and that amazes the hell out of me, even now. You know what? I think The Triangle may now be my new favorite shape. (Sorry, The Ring. You’re outta here.)

SPECIAL FEATURES REPORT

Sci-Fi Inside: The Triangle

We talk to the actors, the producers, the writer and the crew… and Lou Diamond Phillips acts as a kind of spokesmodel. “6 hours, 3 nights, 1 show!” he announces dramatically. Well, it’s good to know that if the acting roles ever dry up, he’ll still be able to eke out a living on the Home Shopping Network.

-- Rachel Hyland