I know it's not an epic, but for half a million quid you're never going to get Lord of the Rings. The acting is decent, the setting is believable and most of the cast do their old world accents very well. Yes, the dragon does look a little clunky but it only appears fleetingly so it hardly spoils the film.
The whole feature has a wonderful mellowness to it. It's so refreshing to see a film of this genre written about everyday folk: no kings, warlocks or dark lords. The script is plain but earnest and the characters are easy to relate to. Try to think of it as the journey of two brothers and their mates rather than a reptilian killing spree and you'll see what I mean.
Erik Denton and Maclain Nelson are great in the lead roles. Both characters are extremely likable and the actors are incredibly attractive. I love the contrast between the two brothers. Darius (played by Erik) is overburdened, distant and a little sad, while Kendrick (played by Maclain) is wide-eyed and eager to please. Nice work fellas! Credit also to the excellent Slate Holmgren, who really shines as sidekick Roland.
The shaky camera-work in the orc fight has come in for a lot of criticism. It worked fine for me: we all know why directors do this so there's no need to give them a hard time about it. My only gripe is that the side story whereby Oswin tries to tame the dragon was never given a chance to develop. I guess they ran out of time.
All in all, this is a touching tale about two blokes trying to do some good in the world. It is not an action adventure. Enjoy it for what it is.
The whole feature has a wonderful mellowness to it. It's so refreshing to see a film of this genre written about everyday folk: no kings, warlocks or dark lords. The script is plain but earnest and the characters are easy to relate to. Try to think of it as the journey of two brothers and their mates rather than a reptilian killing spree and you'll see what I mean.
Erik Denton and Maclain Nelson are great in the lead roles. Both characters are extremely likable and the actors are incredibly attractive. I love the contrast between the two brothers. Darius (played by Erik) is overburdened, distant and a little sad, while Kendrick (played by Maclain) is wide-eyed and eager to please. Nice work fellas! Credit also to the excellent Slate Holmgren, who really shines as sidekick Roland.
The shaky camera-work in the orc fight has come in for a lot of criticism. It worked fine for me: we all know why directors do this so there's no need to give them a hard time about it. My only gripe is that the side story whereby Oswin tries to tame the dragon was never given a chance to develop. I guess they ran out of time.
All in all, this is a touching tale about two blokes trying to do some good in the world. It is not an action adventure. Enjoy it for what it is.