From the start one can readily discern the nature of this project. It's very indie, and very low-budget, a labor of love for all who participated - but at that, made with both care and sincerity, and a passion for storytelling. Such sincerity may be important to enjoying this web series, if only for the fact that lack of the best possible resources lends to a slight sense of inauthenticity that tends to adjoin such fare. I appreciate the work that everyone put into it, however, and it is suitably enjoyable on its own merits as a blend of the fantasy and western genres. 'GruntSlingers' may not be an essential must-see, but it's a pretty good time overall!
There's no mistaking the rather bare-bones reality of the production; those involved only had so much to work with. Even such as it is, however, the costume design is terrific, and the hair and makeup is superb. The filming locations are gorgeous, and what the crew were able to whip up for the sets and props is admirable. Those special effects that are employed don't look half bad - some are better than others, but I've seen no few full-length features that pale in comparison. The same can be said of the overall production values, which are pretty great. Truthfully, the crew put in excellent work to make 'GruntSlingers' look and sound as good as possible, and they are to be commended for what they pulled off, including an earnestly fun score and soundtrack.
The only person on hand who I'm familiar with is Melanie Stone, appearing in a supporting role as Bridgette, but it's a joy to see her as always, and she absolutely shines in her part (even in so small a format). All others on hand are just swell, too, in helping to bring tale to life, not least Jared Lynton and Heather Murdock who get the most time on-screen. And I must extend my commendations to filmmaker Peter Terry, who wrote and directed this - this, and so far as I can gather, nothing else to date. Across the sixty-some minutes total of 'GruntSlingers' Terry demonstrates splendid wit and intelligence, and capable skills as both writer and director. Abbreviated as the narrative is, it's strong and solidly compelling all around, twisting two disparate genres together with finesse while dallying with Bigger Ideas as themes and story beats. Any moments of action come off reasonably well; even more clever and actively engaging is the humor that is liberally peppered throughout. And even over so small a runtime, characters given a meaningful sense of depth and complications, enough to feel real.
In all honesty, I dare say this is so well done that my only disappointment is that there's not more of it. Cast, crew, and filmmaker alike all made fine contributions, even just in this web series; I'd love to see what could be achieved with more resources to make 'GruntSlingers' the truly epic Weird West saga that it could be, and for that matter, even just a continuation of this tale would be most welcome. Such as it is, this is a whole lot of fun, and frankly worth more than the mere hour it takes to watch. Whether you're a fan of the composite genres, or of someone involved, or just a cinephile generally, as far as I'm concerned this is well worth checking out!
