If you are into fantasy genre or medieval backdropped goodies and baddies type films, this is quite a pleasant way to while away just under 2 hours. But otherwise, it is what it is, a lower budget film that cannot compete with Lord of the Rings, Game or Thrones or even the Narnia films. I imagine what has been achieved effect-wise is probably very well done considering whatever the budget was. But when there's such competition out there, I can't help feeling less CGI and more human characters could have been used more effectively. And the film just does not stand up well to scrutiny if you think about it too much as there are a few bits that just plainly make no sense. Spoilers below.
GOOD POINTS
Believable acting (considering the lines!)
Absolutely beautiful backdrops and locations
Good costumes
Collection of like-able characters that comfortably cover different personalities with a few clichés thrown in; 1. cheeky thief, love rat chappy, 2. brave and determined female lead, 3. strong and thick set man and 4. beautiful supporting female who cannot fall in love with anyone as she belongs to a religious order clearing the path for our lead to have romantic entanglements
Intriguing supporting characters
BAD POINTS
Story just not told very well, e.g. the lead is being attacked by an ogre so scoops up spider venom on an arrow. I think we can all guess what she plans to do but there's a shot of the arrow dripping in venom just to ram it home. And yet another section where our plucky lead inexplicably looks at one character as her eyes turn black, his go the same way, magic solves their problem, everyone coughs a bit and then moves on to the next stage of escape with no explanation about what she could suddenly achieve through magic she has never been taught and failed dismally at about a day before. I'm all for intrigue but it just feels they hadn't decided what the reason is behind her powers and couldn't tell us rather than it being by design.
Script weak and made me cringe a couple of times when someone said something cliché. A lot is said that doesn't need saying and then at other times, things aren't explained very well and would have come across better if there was better quality dialogue.
The lead's magic talents seem to include a bizarre range of skills that only work sometimes and are deployed suddenly without her knowing she could ever do them before.
The characters feel shallow and not well thought out. Maybe its because this genre usually springs from novels where characters have back stories. I might be wrong but I believe this is written as a film, not an adaptation. There are long montages of the characters walking across beautiful landscape and yet no overnight camps around the fire when their conversations could have told us so much about their characters and developed their relationships a bit more or small obstacles to their quest which would have drawn them closer together.
There are lots of small bits which make no sense, e.g. a character who was kidnapped then rescued, opts to continue her journey alone. I assume saving her again may be the premise of the second film? A opportunistic character who leaves everyone and runs away leaving our heroine under a bush while there are baddies about, then suddenly decides he loves her later on and therefore he will risk his life for the other people he pretty much hated when he last saw them?
Odd slow motion effect for some of the fights or running away sequences. I remember this effect being used when we are meant to be looking through the eyes of something un-human but it just kicked into this film and then stopped again. I found it a bit strange rather than having a positive impact.
GOOD POINTS
Believable acting (considering the lines!)
Absolutely beautiful backdrops and locations
Good costumes
Collection of like-able characters that comfortably cover different personalities with a few clichés thrown in; 1. cheeky thief, love rat chappy, 2. brave and determined female lead, 3. strong and thick set man and 4. beautiful supporting female who cannot fall in love with anyone as she belongs to a religious order clearing the path for our lead to have romantic entanglements
Intriguing supporting characters
BAD POINTS
Story just not told very well, e.g. the lead is being attacked by an ogre so scoops up spider venom on an arrow. I think we can all guess what she plans to do but there's a shot of the arrow dripping in venom just to ram it home. And yet another section where our plucky lead inexplicably looks at one character as her eyes turn black, his go the same way, magic solves their problem, everyone coughs a bit and then moves on to the next stage of escape with no explanation about what she could suddenly achieve through magic she has never been taught and failed dismally at about a day before. I'm all for intrigue but it just feels they hadn't decided what the reason is behind her powers and couldn't tell us rather than it being by design.
Script weak and made me cringe a couple of times when someone said something cliché. A lot is said that doesn't need saying and then at other times, things aren't explained very well and would have come across better if there was better quality dialogue.
The lead's magic talents seem to include a bizarre range of skills that only work sometimes and are deployed suddenly without her knowing she could ever do them before.
The characters feel shallow and not well thought out. Maybe its because this genre usually springs from novels where characters have back stories. I might be wrong but I believe this is written as a film, not an adaptation. There are long montages of the characters walking across beautiful landscape and yet no overnight camps around the fire when their conversations could have told us so much about their characters and developed their relationships a bit more or small obstacles to their quest which would have drawn them closer together.
There are lots of small bits which make no sense, e.g. a character who was kidnapped then rescued, opts to continue her journey alone. I assume saving her again may be the premise of the second film? A opportunistic character who leaves everyone and runs away leaving our heroine under a bush while there are baddies about, then suddenly decides he loves her later on and therefore he will risk his life for the other people he pretty much hated when he last saw them?
Odd slow motion effect for some of the fights or running away sequences. I remember this effect being used when we are meant to be looking through the eyes of something un-human but it just kicked into this film and then stopped again. I found it a bit strange rather than having a positive impact.