Fantasy Flix

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Amazons and Gladiators (2001)

During the Roman Empire, General Crassius ruled a small province with an Iron fist. Serena, a young girl in a village, watches Crassius kill her parents. Crassius and Serena's destiny would lead them to the Gladiator ring; the Amazons Warrior vs the Roman General.

Rome + Spartacus - $$ - Good Acting = Amazons and Gladiators. No Buts seriously this is not that bad. In fact I kind of enjoyed it. There's really no great story here. The acting isn't very good. The action scenes are pretty terrible. There's nudity, but not enough of it. However...

However, there's some charm here. Take out the nudity and you'd have yourself a fairly good Syfy Saturday afternoon flick. The story is typical. Girls family dies at the hands of villain. Girl Grows up, becomes hot, and seeks out said villain and gets revenge.

There's really no big stand-out here as far as acting goes. I'd like to say Patrick Bergin phone's it in. But, looking at Mr. Bergin's film career, he really has not done that much good work. Realistically I'd say Nichole Hiltz stands out above the rest. She's pretty hot too although I think Melanie Gutteridge It much cuter.

The sets and production are pretty terrible, as this movie is obviously pretty low budget. I know it sounds like I'm totally ripping on this movie and then telling you I enjoyed it, but well... I guess that's what I'm doing. I can't quite pinpoint why I enjoyed it. It's got quirky little charming moments and It doesn't take itself too seriously.

Overall I'd recommend you check out Amazons and Gladiators, just know what you're in for and don't expect Gladiator or even Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

The Cast

Nichole Hiltz ... Serena

Melanie Gutteridge ... Briana

Jennifer Rubin ... Ione

Richard Norton ... Lucius

Patrick Bergin ... Crassius

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005)

Based on the phenomenally successful role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons 2 takes you deeper into the dark and fantastical world of this fantasy epic. When the evil sorcerer Damodar braves a perilous whirlwind vortex to steal the elemental black orb he declares a sinister plan of vengeance against the kingdom of Ismir. Berek, a decorated warrior, and Melora, an amateur sorceress join four heroes representing Intelligence, Wisdom, Honor and Strength to battle against Damodar's growing army of gruesome creatures, flying harpies and an ice dragon to reach a vault room holding the orb. Together, they build their own army to retrieve the orb using elemental forces to defeat Damodar before he summons the sleeping black dragon whose omnipotent evil powers could lay waste to the entire kingdom.

Director: Gerry Lively

D&D: Wrath of the Dragon God is a sequel to the first Dungeons & Dragons movie released in theaters. If you've seen that movie then the first thing you'll notice is this is WAY better. The biggest complaint of the original D&D movie (besides the fact that it was not very good) was that it was overly silly and not like D&D much at all. If you were a D&D player growing up, as I was of course, you'll agree with me.

This movie, while not great, is actually quite good and entertaining. There are lots of elements that D&D players will recognize throughout the movie. The action is good, the effects are decent, and there's a hot elf chick.

I would recommend readers of my blog to look this one up. Don't let the first movie dissuade you from seeing this one. Lets hope we'll see more D&D movies some time.

The Cast

Mark Dymond ... Berek

Bruce Payne ... Damodar

Clemency Burton-Hill ... Melora

Ellie Chidzey ... Lux

Lucy Gaskell ... Ormaline

Roy Marsden ... Oberon

Tim Stern ... Nim

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Black Death (2010)

Director: Christopher Smith

Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is tasked with learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.

Black Death is a story about men on a mission. During the time of the Black Plague, A rumor has surfaced that there is a village that is completely free of the disease. Ulric (Sean Bean) has been tasked with wiping out the village because it is believed that necromancers are raising the dead there and that is why there is no disease. (or something like that)

This is definitely not your typical fun medieval adventure. On the contrary, this movie is dark, gloomy, and very unfun. While I didn't hate this movie, I certainly didn't love it either. Truthfully, this is a very well made movie, and I'm sure there are many of you who will enjoy it. It was just a little too dark and gloomy for me.

The cast is superb, and the story well written. The sets are very well done. I did not, however, enjoy the occasional POV perspective and shaky camera action. In fact I hate this new trend of hand-held camera work. It all seemed to start with Battlestar Gallactica. But I digress...

It's difficult for me not to love anything with Sean Bean in it. He is fantastic as always. It is understandable how he is type-casted in these kind of roles. They suit him.

Once again, while I did not love this movie, I would definitely recommend you check it out and make your own decision. I just prefer a little more "fun" in my movies.