Magus

This movie was fairly decent and had a bit of potential; however, several things kept it from being great. The story was a bit bare, though it had enough to drive it to the end. The FX were pretty cool at times, but quite juvenile in other (the ending sequence was as cheesy as it gets and reminded me of crappy FX you see in 70's films). Worst of all was the acting, or lack thereof. It sounded like all, I repeat, ALL of the actors were reading straight from the script, you know, like reading a book out loud without and acting even being attempted. This might as well have been a read session instead of the final film.

I forced myself through it just to see what they threw at us. It was cool at times, but quite corny/cheesy/dumb in others. It's not on par with the Warlock series, but good to kill a few hours on the weekend or late at night. There was a gratuitous full-frontal scene in it, if that will help get you through the film (nice bod!).

All-in-all, not too bad but shallow story, poor acting, err.. reading, and blah FX in some places kept this film from getting a better grade. It was better than most straight-to-video films I've seen.

The look and feel of the film is terrific. For a reportedly modest budget, this film gives a lot of bang for the buck. While I could have stood for a little less 'girl/old man', and a LOT more 'hot chicks kicking ass',that's just a personal preference.

Lizzy Strain is a real find. She's going to be a HUGE star. Ron Fitzgerald, as well. The guy is the very definition of spooky.

I'd love to see a sequel in which the Magus' and his hottie sidekick go on a revenge killing spree, ending with the Old Man and Claudia getting what's coming to them. Call me crazy, but sometimes it's fun to see the bad guys win.

MAGUS is the perfect example of talented filmmakers making the most out of a limited budget. This looks like a film that cost a LOT more than they could possibly have had. This director (John Lechago) is definitely worth watching. This is a great-looking film with credible performances (including a shockingly good one from Julie Strain), that has an interesting story, told at a quick pace. It also boasts some of the best special effects I've ever seen in a low-budget, direct-to-video film. It certainly tops anything you'd see on the Sci-fi channel or in the Roger Corman film library.

Magus is by no means a perfect film. It is, however, a fun movie with a lot of great moments (watch for the "magic sex" scene!), and some cool surprises. I, for one, certainly look forward to seeing what this crew comes up with next.

You see, average, disappointing movies get 4 or 5. Only true indie movies ever get 2 or 3. They are either too stupid, under-budget or unintentionally funny that they are worth seeing.

Well, I wouldn't call this worth seeing. After all it is a bad script, terrible acting, clichéd story and '84 special effects are top of the line. But you can see that the people actually tried, even if completely lacking any talent. You get your evil wizard and his sexy fighting sidechick, you get the retired old good wizard and his lovely (ahem :( ) niece and a lot of secondary characters that either die in a blaze of ... magic or stick helplessly around. In the end good wins.

Bottom line: this proves that anyone can make a movie. Even if almost a complete failure, at least it is not overrated: what you see is what you get. They have tried, gave their best, and I respect that.

Considering this was an Indy film with a modest budget, I was very impressed. My hat is off to Mr. Lechago for writing and directing an excellent story. The special effects were great. I enjoyed the characters, especially The Magus Fernos. Ron Fitzgerald really brought life to this role. I'm sure we will be seeing more of him in the future. Bill Steele and Lizzy Strain also delivered strong performances. Magus captured my attention from beginning to end. Michael Sean Colin did an outstanding job with the music. I have seen many films on Sci-Fi that can't hold a candle to Magus. All my best to everyone who worked on this film. Great job! This is a great Indy film with all the right elements.