Although it's been awhile since I last played a game of Dungeons and Dragons, I've enjoyed the "Dragonlance" series of books written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I also feel a real lack of modern options in both film and animation when it comes to the fantasy genre. So it was with some anticipation that I waited for this animated movie to be released on DVD.
With names like Keifer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum and Phill Lamarr attached, it held a fair amount of promise. And although a somewhat unimpressive trailer was released online a few months ago, I still had a few hopes left for a decent movie experience. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed.
The biggest flaw in this film is the cell animation. Choppy and uninteresting, it reminds me of something typical of a Saturday morning cartoon from 10 or even 15 years ago. Maybe the creators felt that mixing in some computer animation would make up for the corners they cut with their cell animation, but nothing could really hide the lack of quality here. I would expect this level of work if it were aimed at kids and made for a weekly tv show, but the amount of violence and even a printed warning on the box make it clear this isn't made for kids. Despite this fact, it seems to be edited ideally for television. Every 5-10 minutes I saw a "fade to black with silence" transition, followed by the continuation of another scene. It reminded me of what it's like to watch a tv series on DVD with the commercial's removed. So unless it's been broadcast already, this seems like a very strange editing device.
Based on the numerous bloody combat scenes, you might expect this movie to scratch the old "hack 'n slash" itch, but due to the poor animation, the combat scenes that SHOULD be the bread and butter of this movie, fall flat on their faces. In the absence of visual interest, you might then look for characters or a story you can care about. You won't find either here. It seems as though the actors, talented as they are, were given little or no direction as they delivered their lines. The phrase "phoning it in" comes to mind. Of particular disappointment is Keifer Sutherland as Rastlin Majere. Although the novels describe the language of magic with some mystery and a sense of awe, Sutherland delivered his spell-casting dialogue with a lumbering American accent that removed any potential cultural flare or sense of the ancient. I don't fault the actors for this. I'm pointing my finger squarely at the director.
In terms of meaningful subject matter, you might find it interesting to compare the spiritual relativism of our culture to the polytheistic culture of this story. "Faith" seems to jump out as an important theme in the movie, more so than I remember it doing in the books. However, like the attitude common today, the subject of that faith seems unimportant. Faith in "the gods", faith in yourself. Whatever floats your boat. Both our culture and this movie seem to promote the individual as the source of ultimate power. In fact, Paladine (one of the "gods of light") doesn't really seem to be effective until near the end, when a key character displays faith in him. The implication is that whatever "god" the characters believe in is ultimately given power by their worshippers. It's easy to draw comparisons to a similar sentiment (if not a spelled out dogma) in American "pop-spirituality". However, as interesting as that conversation might be at Starbucks, this movie isn't interesting enough to stimulate that kind of thinking.
Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and make some improvements, should there be a follow-up. However, unless die-hard D&D/Dragonlance fans come to the rescue, I think word of mouth may kill sales on this DVD, along with the chances for another one to be made. If you're one of the faithful few, you'll likely check this one out. Do yourself a favor and rent before you buy. Otherwise, if you want some non-anime sword and sorcery animation, save your money for the long-awaited "He-man and the Masters of the Universe" being released on DVD this February. It was made just a few years ago (so no, I'm not talking about the 80's cartoon) and on a weekly basis delivered everything that this movie should have.
Final Score-
Quality: 6.0
Veracity: 6.0
No comments:
Post a Comment