Fantasy Flix

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Dark Knight (TV series - 2000)

Dark Knight was a fantasy action series adaptation of Sir Walters Scott's famous novel entitled "Ivanhoe". The story takes place in England in the year 1193, with the land reduced to submission under the weight of constant foreign invasions and the capture of their true King Richard the Lionheart.
Each episode follows the journey of Ivanhoe (Ben Pullen) battling against the fake King's tyranny and oppression and the dark arts of his necromancer named Mordour. Join Ivanhoe accompanied by the beautiful healer/swordfighter Rebecca (Charlotte Comer) and apprentice sorcerer Odo (Peter O'Farrell) in their exciting epic adventure into the Dark Ages with their fight against supernatural evil and absolute dictatorship.

(taken from thattvshow.blogspot.com)

I'm not sure what to say about this series. I guess the first thing that comes to mind is; How the hell did this last for two seasons?

Dark Knight is a blatant attempt to cash in on the then popular Hercules and Xena series. While there were a lot to do this (New Adventures of Robin Hood, Beastmaster, Conan, etc.), this has to be the worst that I've seen.

Now Just to let you know, I haven't actually seen the whole series. What I saw was a DVD "movie" ,called Darkest Knight, that is actually a compilation of stuff from the series. This isn't the first one I've covered. If you remember the movie Hexer I reviewed previously did the same thing. (Hexer was 10 times better)

I'm really not sure why I didn't like this so much. Frankly, it just bored me. I don't even care that the effects were god-awful, or that the chicks were not attractive, or the action was pretty terrible. It just bored me.

While Ben Pullen has the look, he has no charm. While his acting isn't atrocious, he has no personality. There isn't much humor in him or this show in general.

With the lack of good action, hot chicks, humor, or anything that makes these shows enjoyable to me, I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone. I would point you towards Legend of the Seeker, Hercules, Xena or Robin Hood (BBC) for good examples of series of this ilk.

The Cast

Ben Pullen ... Ivanhoe

Charlotte Comer ... Rebecca

Peter O'Farrell ... Odo

Cameron Rhodes ... Prince John

Jeffrey Thomas ... Mordour

Marama Jackson ... Lady Rowena

Michael Wilson ... Friar Bacon

Fantasy Film Aspects

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Game of Thrones (TV-2011)

I literally could not be more excited! I've been waiting for this for forever. The series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin has been an absolute favorite of mine for a long while. All I can say is WATCH THIS SHOW! It is going to be epic.

Game of Thrones is in itself a very low fantasy world. It is not placed in "our" world, but it is very close. There is magic, but it is on the fringes of the story. The story is about the people and the politics that surround them. That may sound boring to some people, however if the adaptation is anywhere close to Martin's brilliant writing, we will NOT be disappointed.

It would not be easy to discuss what the story is about exactly. There is so much going on, and you will be at the edge of your seat for it all. At least, with the book that is the way it is. Being on HBO, I'm sure it will be full of bloody violence, nudity, and the adult themes that persist in the books themselves.

WATCH THIS SHOW!!!

The cast