The Dead Lands, La Terre des guerriers

Fine little action movie settled in pre-colonial New Zealand (Maori tribes) - reminds me a little of Mel Gibson's Apocalyptico (with a far smaller production of course - but not a cheap looking one) or Rapa Nui (1994).

A fine revenge trip into long gone times - the actors are also very good, very believable in their roles. Just good.

The movie's plot moves along predictable lines i.e a tribe is wiped out by a ruthless clan of another tribe with only the chief's young son who is able to escape. How he takes revenge with the help of a flesh eating giant tribal man living in the Deadlands, forms the story.

What slightly separates the movie from other movies is - it is completely set in the jungles, shows how the tribals fight and and some of the fight sequences are staged well.

What was required was a tight script, bit of mystery and fear and more depth in the characters to make it interesting. In the absence of this, the film becomes sluggish to watch.

Give it a miss.

The Dead Lands offers myriad of tribal warrior codes, brutal combat and near mythical depiction of ancient culture. Though it may set in archaic time, the visual is crisp and portraying the natural landscape with elegance. Clash of flesh and weapon are aplenty, this is not for the viewing of fainthearted as the scenes are surprisingly full of gore and blood.

Its premise is quiet simple. A boy's clan is attacked by the opposing rival clan led by the ambitious son of their chief. With false pretext and sudden ambush, the clan suffers greatly. The boy then must walk the path of vengeance which leads him to a scared ground and a warrior with dubious past. Acting-wise the film is brash, filled with both honor code and battle cries.

Casting looks good, the actors physically look intimidating. The old warrior has menacing air as one who has been shouldering heavy burden his entire life. This is an anti-hero story as well as how honor can mean so differently for each person. The characters all have their own salvation to search, but they do so with significantly different paths. Relationship between the boy and the warrior is interesting since both of them barely agree on anything yet still strive for a common goal.

Fighting is especially well-choreographed. In a few scenes there are mutilations which will make audience cringe, these are honestly rather unexpected. It's nice to see that the film includes a lot of Maori myth and style with motions as well. There's inclusion of mythology for unworldly presence, it's presented dynamically as how the ancient people would see it.

Unfortunately, the film possesses a couple of flaws. It's very combatant oriented, so some of the philosophical themes might not translate well for broader audience. The film has stumbled in halfway point as the visual gets uncomfortably dark and the pace halts.

Still, even with several hindrances, The Dead Lands is a great and brazen cultural visit.

In brief, this is an entertaining movie with lots of impressive fighting, a bit of supernatural colour, authentic period setting in pre-European New Zealand, and believable characters. The plot is simple: a chiefs son must avenge the dishonourable slaying of his father and his tribe, and with the support of his deceased grandmother (an effectively spooky Rena Owen) he seeks the help of a reclusive warrior with a dark past. The film deserves extra credit for the authentic portrayal of Maori fighting tradition and weapons, and the accuracy of the central role of honour, revenge, and supernatural beliefs in the warrior culture. I appreciated the decision to have Maori dialogue, I find the sound of the language itself expresses the warrior spirit.

The theme of honour and revenge was also central to the plot of Utu, meaning "blood for blood" a 1984 film directed by Geoff Murphy and set during the early European colonial era in NZ. Worth watching if you enjoyed the Dead Lands and want to see more of the warrior culture of the Maori, although a much more philosophical and slow paced film than this one.

Perhaps to add a little to the appreciation of both of these films, the depiction of Maori as extremely tough and fearless warriors is in no way exaggerated. These people lived very hard lives in a land with very few resources for humans. With no native animals to speak of, and few edible plants, Maori survived on little more than fish, a few birds, and a few berries and roots. The average life expectancy was early 30's. Despite this, they were tall, powerfully built people. There was fierce competition between tribes for resources, and they constantly fought each other over any pretext, usually ascribed to matters of honour and leading to endless blood feuds, but in at least some cases the real motive was hunger. Cannibalism was common, especially after the ostrich-like moa was hunted to extinction and the climate became colder.

Despite these desperate circumstances, Maori retained a rich mythological heritage and believed their land was populated by spirits, good and evil, and it was imperative that their ancestors be honoured and remembered, just as depicted in the film. To this day some Maori can trace their lineage, literally naming their ancestors, back 1000 years to the first tough, brave warriors that crossed the vast pacific to find and colonise NZ.

The only negative for me was that the film dragged a little in the middle.

Due to my current time restraints I'm going to skip the usual intellectually enthusiastic movie exaltation and just cut right to some idiotically strait-forward praise.

This movie was quite an amazing surprise. I didn't expect it to be so good, to the point where I haven't seen an action movie like it in at least a year. And when I use the word "good," it's to symbolize an all-encompassing quality. The depths of the human spirit were represented in the film, clearly and intensely, not considering it's depletion of maybe romance and humor, at it's worst. I found the drama unmatched, and the action and cinematography are extremely inventive. Not to mention: it's the only good Mauri period piece I've ever seen, so I think I might've been waiting a long time for something like this.

A true work of art.