Warrioress

Downloaded and watched this last night - in a hurry and couldn't find anything better.Read the IMDb reviews first so had an idea what to expect.I don't mind this sort of film usually - the trick is to lower your expectations and try to meet it on its own level.There will always be something to enjoy - some interesting scenery,amusing dialogue,a very pretty girl,a good bit of action or a story which holds the attention but oh dear what a dog's breakfast. Rotten dialogue,unintelligible plot,primary school nativity play acting,seedy production and direction.I just managed the first half and spent the rest of the evening staring at the wall and enjoying the relief.Cecily Fay is a champion in the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat and she was 35 when this film was shot.She "wrote" it as well and obviously it was designed to be a vehicle for her to show off her skills and nothing else (and to be fair there was nothing else so it succeeded on that front and for that reason I gave it a 3) Surely people in the film industry (and presumably there must have been one involved in this debacle) must by now realise that you cannot make a medieval/fantasy/martial art type film with a molecular budget- it is never going to work.This is a film that should never have been made.

Cecily Fay leads a cast of hugely talented UK martial arts performers on a Roger Corman-esque low-budget fantasy adventure shot on the gorgeous island of Guernsey. The fight scenes are exciting, fast-paced and plentiful. Cecily also provides the compelling score to the film.

Sporting a total film budget of £48, it truly shows in many of the outdoor scenes. Simple trope dialogue, and unusually sloppy camera angles and cuts. Perhaps they found a local university compsci dept for the few laughable special effects.

Some of the acrobatic stunts and moves by Cecilia Fay are entertaining enough - have to remember that she is 4'8".

I read elsewhere that this film was a good watch for simple entertainment, however about halfway through I was forcing myself to reach the end to see if there was some kind of sensible and believable conclusion to give this film some merit. Turns out that there is none.

My quick rating - 3,8/10. The women that fought in this movie were actually quite good, especially Cecily Fay, but beyond that, it wasn't a movie. They attempted to piece together a plot but to no avail. It was more of a showcase of what I can only assume was a group of people, mostly women, that trained at a martial arts dojo of some skill and decided to make a movie. If there was a tiny budget, and some written story, the actresses (i do not mention actors, the men in this were horrid) could have pulled it off. Remember her name though, she should get some work at some point for a good look with well rounded fighting skills.

WARRIORESS misses out on a higher rating due to production shortcomings and an overdose of goofiness, but I can't help enjoying this film. If it's your purpose as a filmmaker to create a pseudo-medieval action flick with an air of cheesiness on a micro budget, this film ought to be your model. What it does right, it does better than many flicks with ten times its budget.

The story: In a post-apocalyptic future, a mighty warrior (Cecily Fay) embarks on a quest to fight a prophetic duel.

If nothing else, I am glad that the movie exists because it provides such an ample platform for lead star Cecily Fay, who is definitely among the top ten unsung film fighters of this decade. As an actress, she's passable, but as an on screen combatant, she positively stands out from her cinematic peers and forbearers. As the lead of most of the 19 fights, she and her unique fighting style stand out in both hand-to-hand brawls and swordfights – displaying impeccable coordination and flexibility. At worst, these matches are passable for their sheer physicality, but at their best, they shine for their long takes and ambitious choreography. Kudos also goes to costars Joelle Simpson and Helen Bailey for their own mighty contributions to these brawls.

I'm pleased that this film has so much fighting to its credit, as it distracts us from its shortcomings. Despite being shot well enough, the flick has that cheap B-movie quality to it, with occasionally interesting locations that are nevertheless clearly public property. Everyone looks a little too clean for this setting, particularly Cecily in her impractical, Frank Frazetta-inspired costume. Dramatic performances are on the good side of hammy. The film features several odd artistic decisions – including the frequent breathy voiceovers – and is clearly set up to accommodate a potential sequel, with the effect that the main villain (Will Brenton) can remain oddly detached from everything else happening in the story.

Nevertheless, the filmmakers successfully impose their own infectious energy on the movie, making it palatable to martial arts fans and lovers of indie niche. I can't recommend this to nearly everybody, but I have a feeling that the people who do like it will *really* like it.