in the name of the king

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

 

Can Jason Stathem’s badassery carry a feebly pieced together hodge podge of every other sci-fi fantasy flick from the last ten years including Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Eragon?

 

No.

 

He is a tremendous badass.  And I love anything with John Rhys-Davies.  And I was really diggin’ those tree chicks that came zooming down vines like they were on Cirque de Soleil. 

 

But this thing tries to tackle just a bit too much.  It seemed like they really were trying to fit a trilogy into one two hour film. 

 

The dialog seemed forced at times because they needed to move the story along too quickly.  Not allowing time to develop what could have been some very compelling characters and subplots.  I suppose they could have eliminated some of the fight scenes for more plot development, but they didn’t. 

 

The battle sequences were okay, but nothing we’ve not seen before.  They even used some fight techniques from Crouching Tiger, with these ninja like front line warriors who dropped out of the trees to rain cold, flashing steel down upon their foes.

 

But like I said, nothing new.

 

Oh, and Ray Liotta needs to stick to crime dramas and gangster films.  He’s no evil, power hungry sorcerer. 

 

Claire Forlani looks great as Jason Stathem’s wife and child bearer.  Or Farmer as he’s called throughout the film.  ‘Cause you know, he’s a peasant farmer.  Who refuses to join the king’s army because he won’t leave his wife and son even though he’d make some bank.  He’s content to stay and farm his little piece of dirt and be a devoted husband and loving father.

 

Touching, right?  Then they pull “Patriot” on him and kill his son and steal his wife.  You remember The Patriot, with Mel Gibson where he won’t join the fight against the Red Coats until something tragic happens and his family is brutally murdered, yada yada yada.  I could call it a “Gladiator”, or a “Braveheart” or whatever.

 

Like I said, nothing new.

 

It is well produced and is not without its humor.  But I don’t think I’ll be running out to buy it when the DVD is released.  I mean, maybe if I can find it in a 5 dollar bin and I’m really just itching to buy a DVD and there’s nothing else there.

 

Oh, it’s also got Burt Reynolds as the king and Matthew Lillard as the pansy king’s nephew heir apparent.