"Lord of the Rings Light."
That was my response to this when I first saw the trailer. The other thing that went through my mind at the time was, "all the actors are phoning it in, including the dragon." Then I found out this was based on a book written by a fifteen year old. OK. He's set for life, if he manages his money or becomes prolific or both.
Then the third thought that came to mind was, "film industry making a cash grab." But a flaming sword, a dragon spewing fire, an evil king played by John Malkovich, a pretty maiden warrior princess, CG up the wazoo; well I'm going anyway.
I set aside all my expectations and had a good time. You're allowed to have a good time with a movie like this. Yes, it has its flaws. No, it isn't up to the standards set by Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings.
The one place where I think this movie fell short was in its opening. It starts with a narrator telling the back story. I hate narrators in movies. Can't you get the information across with the action on screen? You know, show it, don't tell it.
In addition to that the film could have benefited with another fifteen to twenty minutes to put some flesh on the bones, as it were. Oh and the producers could have thrown a few more bucks at the creature effects.
I found that I liked the good guys in this and was entertained by the bad guys. I went along with the action of the film. I overlooked the flaws and I enjoyed the film. I am looking forward to seeing the second one.
It's not the best fantasy movie ever made, but it is pretty good.
That was my response to this when I first saw the trailer. The other thing that went through my mind at the time was, "all the actors are phoning it in, including the dragon." Then I found out this was based on a book written by a fifteen year old. OK. He's set for life, if he manages his money or becomes prolific or both.
Then the third thought that came to mind was, "film industry making a cash grab." But a flaming sword, a dragon spewing fire, an evil king played by John Malkovich, a pretty maiden warrior princess, CG up the wazoo; well I'm going anyway.
I set aside all my expectations and had a good time. You're allowed to have a good time with a movie like this. Yes, it has its flaws. No, it isn't up to the standards set by Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings.
The one place where I think this movie fell short was in its opening. It starts with a narrator telling the back story. I hate narrators in movies. Can't you get the information across with the action on screen? You know, show it, don't tell it.
In addition to that the film could have benefited with another fifteen to twenty minutes to put some flesh on the bones, as it were. Oh and the producers could have thrown a few more bucks at the creature effects.
I found that I liked the good guys in this and was entertained by the bad guys. I went along with the action of the film. I overlooked the flaws and I enjoyed the film. I am looking forward to seeing the second one.
It's not the best fantasy movie ever made, but it is pretty good.