Fantasy Flix

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Director: Marcus Nispel
Writers: Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer

Here we have the 2011 remake of Conan the Barbarian. Now, I know alot of people out there despise remakes. Personally, I am not one of them. I often enjoy seeing new takes on older movies. Generally, the remakes do not live up to the original, but I think that's more of a nostalgic factor than anything else. Everything beloved from our childhood is always going to be "better" than a new version. Conan the Barbarian is a great example of this.

No matter what I say here, there are those that are going to hate this simply because it is a remake. I'm not saying this is the greatest movie of all time or anything close to that. But I did quite enjoy this movie. Does it live up to the original? Of course not. But I think Jason Momoa does a fantastic job here. He has great intensity and presence. I like the fact that this Conan isn't overly muscle bound.

I think most of the cast here is very good. I love Stephen Lang and I think he makes a great villian. I even enjoyed Rose McGowan, who I'm generally not a fan of. And, of course, Ron Perlman makes any movie better.

I really hate to call this a remake. It does recreate Conan's origin, but besides that, this flick is completely different. While the story elements are similar, the actual storyline is different. Which, to me, is much better as I can enjoy both this and the original without feeling like I'm watching the same movie.

There is some nudity in here, but not a whole lot. Which surprisingly enough, I think is good as to not seem exploitative. There's plenty of pretty faces and great visuals. The special effects I think are well done. I especially enjoyed the "sand people".

Overall, I think this is a good movie. No It's not going to replace your original Conan. Nor do I think i'ts trying to. I think it stands on its own as an enjoyable popcorn flick to throw in the player every now and again.

Verdict: Recommended

The Cast

Jason Momoa ... Conan

Stephen Lang ... Khalar Zym

Rachel Nichols ... Tamara

Ron Perlman ... Corin

Rose McGowan ... Marique

Nonso Anozie ... Artus

Steven O'Donnell ... Lucius

Saïd Taghmaoui ... Ela-Shan

Raad Rawi ... Fassir

Nathan Jones ... Akhun

Bob Sapp ... Ukafa

Milton Welsh ... Remo

Leo Howard ... Young Conan

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Witchville (TV 2010)

Director: Pearry Reginald Teo
Writers: John Werner, Amy Krell

In the Middle Ages, Erik and Jason seek out his compatriot Malachy and force him to return to his homeland. When they arrive, they find that Malachy's father, the King, is dead and their lands are completely devastated. Soon, witch hunter Kramer meets Malachy and tells him that a coven of witches led by the evil Red Queen is responsible for the destruction of the crops. Malachi teams-up with Erik, Jake, Kramer and four warrior-thieves to find the Red Queen. But the witch is very powerful and the skilled warrior Jozefa protects her.Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Here we have yet another Syfy original movie. Before I saw this film I thought it was an actual theatrical film that I had somehow missed. But after watching it for a while, I could see that it was a Syfy. On the scale of Syfy films, I would have to rate this one toward the top. While it had some slow parts, it overall kept my interest.

The acting is pretty good, though I expected more from Luke Goss, who seemed to be phoning it in. The definite standout was Ed Speleers from Eragon fame. He was actually very entertaining in this flick. MyAnna Buring is quite awsome in this movie as well. While you don't get to see very much of her, she portrays quite a good bad-ass.

There is a group of asian henchmen in the movie, that don't really do much, and I'm not sure why they are there. The main girl is pretty cute though, so I won't complain much.

The action is pretty good, and there's enough of it to keep you entertained. The special effects are decent given the low budget of a Syfy movie. The story itself is kind of disjointed, but entertaining enough.

Verdict: Pretty good, recommended if you can handle Syfy originals.

Cast

Luke Goss ... Malachy

Ed Speleers ... Jason

Andrew Pleavin ... Erik

Simon Thorp ... Kramer

MyAnna Buring ... Jozefa

Sarah Douglas ... The Red Queen

Gillian Tan ... Henchwoman

Ian Virgo ... Hobart

Lynne Verrall ... Baba

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Earthsea (TV 2004)

Director: Robert Lieberman

Writers: Gavin Scott (teleplay), Ursula K. Le Guin (novels)

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A reckless youth is destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known. When the young wizard Ged discovers that he possesses infinite magical powers, he seeks to master the ancient arts. As he journeys to manhood, he will combat dragons, fall in love, cross death's threshold, and ultimately wield the power to reunite a kingdom. Written by El_Magus

I'm not entirely familiar with the Earthsea universe. My only experience with it is this film here. The film from Syfy is based on a series of novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. From watching this movie, all I could think was Harry Potter. I couldn't tell you which came first or if influences have been acknowledged, but I can tell you there are some extreme similarities.

Overall I enjoyed this movie, but to be honest I wasn't entirely sure what was going on in the story. I was just enjoying the adventure. Oh, and watching Kristin Kreuk, who is utterly georgeous. How I wish this was an actual theatrical movie and she appeared somewhat less dressed than that god-awful dress she wears here.

The acting is good, while Chris Gauthier steals the show, as he usually does. The effects were quite well done, somewhat better than the usual Syfy fare. The setting was beautiful, and the costumes good too.