Saga - A Maldição das Sombras

A pretty well done fantasy film of mythical characters and magic powers. The actors played their roles nicely. With suiting effects and suiting costumes the movie introduces the viewer in that world of legend. I would say the movies was better than most Hollywood movies. The whole crew that done this movie did a very well job; The orcs looked vividly orc-ish and the elf girl has played her part well. And of course the human hero was no less impressive. The story was not amazing, but was good enough thanks the writers. I will give it a well deserved 7 out of 10. Despite the low budget the movie was surprisingly decent.

This film is a guilty pleasure. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be 'earnest'.

What we have here is a group of people who wanted to make a fantasy epic with a very limited budget. The special effects are passable, and the costumes and choreography make up for the other limitations.

The acting is at best so-so. The elf, Nemyt is pleasing on the eyes and is certainly athletic in the fight scenes, but has very limited acting range (if you want 'suppressed rage', she is your girl).

The script is lifted straight from the D&D cliche book. I laughed out loud when the cleric/paladin says "out of the way, old crone" to the quite obviously beautiful young women with a shawl over her head. Other memorable lines include "this was always the plan" and "we meet again - for the last time". It all feels so familiar, like a comfortable pair of slippers.

I cannot help but respect a film that takes itself so seriously. I came away with a silly smile on my face, and so I must recommend it to all fantasy enthusiasts out there.

Somewhere in time and space, there is a battle between the evil and the good. The Prophets of The Order are trying to restore civilization while The Shadow is trying to revive the God of Death.

The female elf bounty hunter Nemyt Akaia (Danielle Chuchran) fights against the criminal Fangtor Bloodmoon (Adam Abram) and kills him. However she is cursed by him with the Shadow mark on her wrist. When she goes to the nearby castle to collect her reward, she is arrested because of the mark and sentenced to death. Meanwhile the human Ambassador of Light Keltus the Wanderer (Richard McWilliams) chases the dwarf Gyarmuck (James C. Morris) to find the real intentions of the Shadow and he learns that the orcs have a powerful vessel that they will sell to the Shadow representative. Keltus heads to the castle where Nemyt is imprisoned and he finds that she has discovered where the orcs are going. He brings her with him to seek out the horde of orcs and promises that the Prophetess would help her to get rid off her mark.

On the beginning of their journey they find Kullimon the Black (Paul D. Hunt) that was left behind tied up to two trees by his former horde after being betrayed by the orc Mulgrut (Kyle Paul). The unlikable trio teams up in a journey to avoid that the God of Death returns life and destroys civilization.

"SAGA – Curse of the Shadow" is a low-budget adventure in a magic world of elves, orcs, dragons and forces of light and shadows. The story is rushed in the beginning certainly due to the budget constraint and the screenplay is uneven. The choreography of the many fights is terrible, the repetitive music score is annoying and the acting is reasonable only. But the flick is watchable in a rainy day afternoon. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "SAGA – A Maldição das Sombras" ("SAGA – Curse of the Shadow")

This was really a surprise of a movie. "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is somewhat of a mixture between "Lord of the Rings" and "Dungeons & Dragons". And if you enjoy high adventure, sword and sorcery, or enjoy (or ever have) playing Dungeons & Dragons, then chances are very likely that you will enjoy this movie as well.

The storyline in "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is rather interesting, especially because it is well thought through, and director John Lyde did a good job in managing to entangle the threads of the three different tales of the three main characters; the elf Nemyt (played by Danielle Chuchran), the human Keltus (played by Richard McWilliams) and the orc Kulliman (played by Paul D. Hunt).

Without getting too much into fleshing out the actual storyline, I will just quickly skim it and summarize. The story is about three unlikely adventurers who have to join forces against an awakened evil that threatens the entire land.

The storyline is actually quite much like something you would find in most high adventure tales of sword and sorcery; it is something taken right out from a Dungeons & Dragons game. And I love it. It was so cool. Sure this wasn't as grand and epic on the same scale as "The Lord of the Rings" movies - given they were on two entirely different budgets. But "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" actually fared better, much better, than all of the three "Dungeons & Dragons" movies that are out on the movie market so far.

The acting in the movie was quite good. And the above three mentioned actress and actors did good jobs with their given characters, and they also fared well in the combat and melee situations, which just improved the enjoyment of the movie quite a lot.

As far as costumes went, then "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" had some pretty nice touches to the costumes and the make-up of the various creatures and characters. It was all quite believable, and it worked out quite well. However, one thing that didn't sit well with me, was the sounds like roaring and growling lions that the orcs had to make. Yeah, I get that they are of savage minds, but come on, those sounds were just a bit too much.

Another great treats for fans of the fantasy genre and people who enjoy the Dungeons & Dragons games. In "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" you will see humans, dwarfs, elves, orcs, mermaids/sirens, dragons, zombies, a minotaur, and even two deities.

The movie was beautifully shot, with lots of good camera work. And there was a lot of visual treats for the eyes from the various locations and scenery found throughout the movie.

"SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is highly recommendable if you enjoy adventures, sword and sorcery, or if you are fan of the fantasy genre in general. I enjoyed this movie tremendously, and was totally caught off guard at how cool this movie turned out to be.

I visit IMDb for several years, but this is the first film I really feel the urge to comment on around here. I stumbled about "Dragon Lore/Curse of the Shadow/The Shadow Cabal" by pure chance (I think it was the lead Elf's iconic mask that initially caught my attention).

The story itself isn't something to write home about, but isn't inferior to the stuff one gets served in most of the shiny Hollywood productions either. A High Elven bounty hunter, a human cleric/paladin and an Orc war chief team up -- more or less reluctantly -- to defeat the malevolent Order of the Shadow, which disciples plan to summon and materialise their demon master, the death god Goth Azul. Nothing new here.

No, the strong points of "The Shadow Cabal" (I'll stick with this title) lie within other fields.

In some parts the film is wonderfully trashy, but more than once we are granted well done sceneries, e.g. the vision sequences or the Orc's boating trip. It is also the Orc that is the trio's most entertaining one, thanks to the actor's solid performance. The Elf, Nemyt, is established as a likable "bad girl", albeit with an irritating habit for spitting (and sexy "Underworld" contact lenses). She has got an impudent attitude, indulges in animalistic hissings at times, but turns out to be loyal to the good side. Last but not least, she is pleasant to behold. Which leaves us with the paladin: He stays slightly anaemic, partly because he hasn't got as many strong scenes as the other two lead characters.

Digital effects are scarce, yet (or therefore) the final boss is rather impressive for an indie film. Furthermore, there is many a scene that sports a downright surreal atmosphere (for example the happenings at the Bleeding Stone). The locations are generally well chosen, but the footages of the Grand Canyon and other recognisable sites work against the immersion into a fantasy world. Make-up and props look good, often really good. However, the main Orc needs a nose job -- right now he reminds me of the Grinch. The fighting scenes are mostly solid and never overdone. To top it off, there are a lot of lovely details, such as Nemyt's aforementioned mask.

Unbiased, this film would get a seven. But the indie bonus makes it an eight out of ten, hands down.