Daemonium: Underground Soldier

A fantasy, science fiction slash horror film from an Argentinian film maker Pablo Parés, where the forces of science fiction and the horrors of fantasy meet. The story, very loosely, going that a demon was unleashed upon the world by unscrupulous men in a bid for power. Now, years later, one of the men corrupted by that demon is looking to open a portal for its re-emergence and it's up to the original wizard, who opened the portal, to stop him. Plus there's a really big sideplot about a scorned lover turned BDSM themed assassin. Make of that what you will.

Daemonium is one of those so bad it's good films. A film you should definitely watch with some beers and a couple of good friends. Don't watch this alone and sober, I cannot stress that enough. It's nowhere good enough to hold up under any kind of critical scrutiny.

Granted, the effects are surprisingly nice. The costumes are elaborate, as are the various masks. The demon especially looks badass.

But, sometimes there is too much of a good thing. The film has some real problems focusing on what kind of a world it wants to build. Every single trope in modern media seems to be valid at the same time. We have wizards, cyberpunk assassins, demons, futuristic soldiers, post-apocalyptic gypsy courts, science gadgets, swords, armour, tarot cards, robots, and everything else under the sun, all happening at the same time. And that gets confusing, fast. In the hands of a more talented storyteller, this could be made to work, but here it just muddles the waters.

Still, there is passion in what the film is trying to pull off, and I can imagine the appeal that can have. Not a good movie by any stretch, but an interesting one, and I can see myself recommending this to certain friends of mine.