Uwe Boll, the director who has single-handedly given videogame adaptations a bad name, now brings us In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. This epic adaptation of the 2002 action RPG game Dungeon Siege is as awkward and unwieldy as its title suggests, relying on stock characters, fantasy movie clichés and melodramatic dialogue to tell a comically simplistic good vs. evil story.
When the usually docile sub-human creatures known as the Krug begin attacking, uncharacteristically armed with swords and clad in armour, it becomes obvious that evil is afoot in the land of Ehb. Farmer (Jason Statham), a man orphaned during his childhood and raised by his friend and mentor Norick (Ron Perlman), is forced into battle when the rampaging Krug attack a nearby village, kidnapping his wife and murdering his son. Farmer and his friends are soon involved in all out war, facing an army of violent monsters led by evil sorcerer Gallian (Ray Liota).
The seasoned cast, including Ray Liota, Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, John-Rhys Davies, Leelee Sobieski and Burt Reynolds, work hard to deliver their lines with as much sincerity as possible, but no amount of acting can hide the scripts obvious failings. Modern fantasy epics such as The Lord of the Rings, 300 and Beowulf have set the bar high for this genre of film, and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale doesnt even attempt to meet the challenge set by its brethren.
Like many of Bolls other movies (House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, Bloodrayne), there are moments of seemingly unintentional humour that almost raise the film to the level of campy "so bad its good cult status. Unfortunately, the two-hour-plus running time of the film will test the patience of even the most diehard fan of B-minus videogame movies. Do yourself a favour and save your gold coins to buy some health potions
(Peace Arch)When the usually docile sub-human creatures known as the Krug begin attacking, uncharacteristically armed with swords and clad in armour, it becomes obvious that evil is afoot in the land of Ehb. Farmer (Jason Statham), a man orphaned during his childhood and raised by his friend and mentor Norick (Ron Perlman), is forced into battle when the rampaging Krug attack a nearby village, kidnapping his wife and murdering his son. Farmer and his friends are soon involved in all out war, facing an army of violent monsters led by evil sorcerer Gallian (Ray Liota).
The seasoned cast, including Ray Liota, Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, John-Rhys Davies, Leelee Sobieski and Burt Reynolds, work hard to deliver their lines with as much sincerity as possible, but no amount of acting can hide the scripts obvious failings. Modern fantasy epics such as The Lord of the Rings, 300 and Beowulf have set the bar high for this genre of film, and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale doesnt even attempt to meet the challenge set by its brethren.
Like many of Bolls other movies (House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, Bloodrayne), there are moments of seemingly unintentional humour that almost raise the film to the level of campy "so bad its good cult status. Unfortunately, the two-hour-plus running time of the film will test the patience of even the most diehard fan of B-minus videogame movies. Do yourself a favour and save your gold coins to buy some health potions