SAGA - Curse of the Shadow

I will watch just about anything with swords, dragons, and magic. So I was kind of curious to see what this movie was. I was mildly entertained because right off the battle scenes were poorly choreographed. Storyline fell short of what I would have liked it to. But as a writer that is what gets me naturally. I think they just kind of took a bunch of elements together and threw it into a pot and called it a story. Dry cereal.

But if you are into sword and sorcery like I am then you can say this movie has not progressed since the same movies in the genre of the 80s. Still worth a watch if you aren't lactose intolerant because it comes with cheese.

I will say they had a nice element with the green screen and the makeup was nicely done. Honestly visually for a Bmovie I was into it, but somewhere the story fell short and the flow of the action wasn't there.

This movie was surprisingly good. The story is relatively simple, but the interesting characters (especially the orc, Kullimon, "ha ha ha") along with great music and pictures made it work.

It's not as "shiny" and overdone as Hollywood products and I think that's its biggest strength. Special effects (which are very good for a low budget production) were kept to the scenes where it makes sense and not used carelessly. The landscape and scenery are so much better than anything you're used to from big movies, because it's actually real and not 50% CGI. It doesn't look oversaturated and edited, but really natural, which adds a lot of immersion that most movies are lacking nowadays.

Overall it's a really nice movie and I can definitely recommend it to people who like the genre.

This was really a surprise of a movie. "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is somewhat of a mixture between "Lord of the Rings" and "Dungeons & Dragons". And if you enjoy high adventure, sword and sorcery, or enjoy (or ever have) playing Dungeons & Dragons, then chances are very likely that you will enjoy this movie as well.

The storyline in "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is rather interesting, especially because it is well thought through, and director John Lyde did a good job in managing to entangle the threads of the three different tales of the three main characters; the elf Nemyt (played by Danielle Chuchran), the human Keltus (played by Richard McWilliams) and the orc Kulliman (played by Paul D. Hunt).

Without getting too much into fleshing out the actual storyline, I will just quickly skim it and summarize. The story is about three unlikely adventurers who have to join forces against an awakened evil that threatens the entire land.

The storyline is actually quite much like something you would find in most high adventure tales of sword and sorcery; it is something taken right out from a Dungeons & Dragons game. And I love it. It was so cool. Sure this wasn't as grand and epic on the same scale as "The Lord of the Rings" movies - given they were on two entirely different budgets. But "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" actually fared better, much better, than all of the three "Dungeons & Dragons" movies that are out on the movie market so far.

The acting in the movie was quite good. And the above three mentioned actress and actors did good jobs with their given characters, and they also fared well in the combat and melee situations, which just improved the enjoyment of the movie quite a lot.

As far as costumes went, then "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" had some pretty nice touches to the costumes and the make-up of the various creatures and characters. It was all quite believable, and it worked out quite well. However, one thing that didn't sit well with me, was the sounds like roaring and growling lions that the orcs had to make. Yeah, I get that they are of savage minds, but come on, those sounds were just a bit too much.

Another great treats for fans of the fantasy genre and people who enjoy the Dungeons & Dragons games. In "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" you will see humans, dwarfs, elves, orcs, mermaids/sirens, dragons, zombies, a minotaur, and even two deities.

The movie was beautifully shot, with lots of good camera work. And there was a lot of visual treats for the eyes from the various locations and scenery found throughout the movie.

"SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is highly recommendable if you enjoy adventures, sword and sorcery, or if you are fan of the fantasy genre in general. I enjoyed this movie tremendously, and was totally caught off guard at how cool this movie turned out to be.

"Don't expect a blockbuster" ... that is the main comment I have read now in the last days about SAGA. That is true, but you should simply not care, if you like Fantasy and Independent Films like me. With the low budget (I would really like to know how much it was?) the producers did a great job. Arrowstorm Entertainment and Mainstay Productions are small companies: They are making movies for fans, all sorts of short movies in different genres and offer young talents a chance to contribute their ideas. Originally SAGA was considered as a Webseries and they did a short movie, which is now the first scene. That was a test for the concept, shot in one day with almost no budget in Snow Canyon State Park. It worked out and they collected enough money (also from fans via Kickstarter) to make this movie. And it is very entertaining with even some funny moments. The costumes are very good in my opinion, especially the ones for the orcs. I like the music and also the fighting scenes. I would really like to see a sequel with our heroes. So give it a try! You will like the ears of that blue-eyed sword swinging elf. For me it's a 8/10, including a bonus for the elf, the main orc :-) and for the fantastic evolution of this project.

Given the nature of the film, the content and the advertising - I admit I was inclined to watch it anyways. However reading some of the comments here I got the impression this was a film over-looked by the normal mass viewer.

Fortunately I did watch it and I agree with things expressed here so far. The film is so natural feeling, yet with a hint of amateur innocence. Great set pieces, costumes, scenery. The dialogue is acceptable, the pace is quick and the direction is clear.

I only wish it was longer or a part of a larger series.

If this is what 'Indie' can do on a budget, I'm hopeful for the future of B films.