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In the Name of the King is directed by Uwe Boll (Alone
in the Dark, Bloodrayne.) The film stars Jason Statham (Transporter
series), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings series), Ray
Liotta (Goodfellas), and Burt Reynolds (Smokey and the Bandit.)
It is based on the video game series Dungeon Siege. ***
The film takes place in a fantasy realm, in which a
farmer's wife is kidnapped and his son is murdered. Aiming
to rescue his beloved wife and avenge his fallen son, he
sets out on a journey to accomplish his goals. As he travels
the land, he gains new companions who have similar goals
- as the very evil who has tormented him has darker ambitions,
including overthrowing the ruler of the kingdom. ***
It's a movie based on a video game…. Need I say more?
**
Uwe Boll is no stranger to directing films based on
video games. And while In the Name of the King could very
well be his finest directorial effort based on a game so
far, there's nothing that makes this more than “just another
game-based movie.” ***
The characters and the dialogue throughout the film
are all laughable, and the experience ends up coming off
as a half-assed Lord of the Rings rip-off. At times the
thing is so cheesy and over-the-top that it feels like a
parody! I have no problems with the film's cast; they're
all talented actors. But when they're given such scattershot
direction and a weak script to work with, they can't rise
above the weaknesses. ***
Perhaps the biggest shock is the big-name stars that
appear here. Burt Reynolds!? Was this guy desperate for
a paycheck or something? As one of the finest actors of
recent decades, it astonishes me that he could appear in
this train wreck of a movie. The same can be said of Ray
Liotta, a once similarly-revered actor. ***
The greatest strength of In the Name of the King is
its cinematography - during the times it works. When this
movie looks good, it looks fantastic = just the way an epic
should look. But other moments of the movie are plagued
with weak camera angles and weak production and direction,
further dragged down by the often terrible script. ***
If you want the medieval fantasy epic on the big screen
done right, stick with Lord of the Rings. ---
Image And Sound:
The quality of the transfer on this disc is hit and
miss. While there are plenty of sections on the disc that
take advantage of the often-superb cinematography, a lot
of the scenes (darker ones in particular) get bogged down
in static and grain. There are no issues with the audio,
which is actually quite excellent in the midst of battle
scenes. ---
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