The Legends of Nethiah

Where to start? While obviously a passionate personal project for some of those involved I regret this film fails on every level. I don't understand the positive review sitting on its IMDb page. The effects made us cringe,the plot is lame and the acting is generally unconvincing, though Picardo and Young do what they can with a clunky script.

The sci-fi fantasy sequences just don't work, they have an amateurish look that suggests the budget was too modest for the undertaking. Sayys is very watchable as a basketball mentor type, but falls to a plot twist that left us bewildered. Maybe Picardo (and Theresa Russell no less!) did this as a favour, maybe they needed the work. Even they can't rescue it.

Our main complaint is that the marketing on the DVD box proclaims it to be something it isn't, a sci-fi fantasy epic (with clear hints at NeverEnding Story in the artwork). Epics need scale - this was a miniature. Avoid.

I watched this film at the Phoenix Comicon Festival and it was very well done. From the acting (great job to Robert Picardo for playing a dual role, and to the 10 year old Jared Young who played a very challenging role of a kid whose parents are getting divorced and he must choose whom to live with) to the music (a score by the director's choice of composer Neil Argo) to the camera work (the RED camera looks great), it worked. The film was similar to "The Princess of Bride" but there was more of an emphasis on the here and now rather than the fantastical story that was told.

The dialogue was sometimes wordy but maybe that was because of the emotional content (divorce is a central theme in this film and you can tell when the estranged husband and wife argue - and do they argue!). All in all, I would recommend this film.

A terrible movie.

By 5 minutes in, I was groaning after each line of dialogue. You can tell that the actors memorized every word of the script and are reciting it, verbatim.

The dialogue is very generic and uninspired. It really is painful to get through.

Another reviewer compared this movie to The Princess Bride, which I feel is obscene. The Princess Bride is a true classic, and the Legend of Norath (whatever) will be forgotten tomorrow.

Don't even bother watching it.

While obviously not a masterpiece on the scale of The Princess Bride or The Never-ending Story, which were referenced in other reviews, Legends Of Nethiah does, in itself, provide a pleasant watching experience. The core of the story is quite basic - a kid who has to deal with his parents' divorce, and finds refuge in his grandfather's stories. Both Jared Young (Gabriel) and Robert Picardo (the grandfather) seem to give great performances, and on a simple, yet well-written movie like this, it's all I need.

I strongly disagree with the negative reviews this movie received here. It's definitely worth watching, in my opinion!