BEFORE: Natalie Portman carries over from "Black Swan", I've got a mini-chain of 4 films starring her.
I don't know if I've mentioned it here already (probably...) but in about a month and a half, I'll be starting a chain of films that will serve as the last chain for this calendar year. About 63 films that may or may not have a lot in common, but they'll be organized according to the city or country in which the film takes place. Taken together, they will comprise a cinematic trip around the world, not-so-coincidentally beginning (and hopefully also ending) in San Francisco, site of my recent trip. So please stay tuned for that, it promises to be an epic feat of organized virtual travel.
But tonight, I'm going back into medieval times, in the land of, umm, whereever the heck this takes place. Medieval-land, all right?
THE PLOT: When Prince Fabious's bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her... accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous.
AFTER: This film could have gone really wrong - my first thought is that a fantasy quest film, played as a modern comedy, would be like mixing two foods. Will it end up like chocolate and peanut butter, or pickles and ice cream? It almost seems like something that shouldn't work on paper, but might be mildly entertaining if someone can cast the right actors and set the right comedic tone.
Fortunately, the tone here was somewhere between "Clash of the Titans" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights". Which places it somewhere close to an action/comedy like "Time Bandits", mixed with a bit of "Pineapple Express".
If you can get past the dick jokes, and put up with medieval knights using modern curse-words, just hang tight, because the pieces all do come together at the end for an action-packed climax. It did seem a little by-the-numbers, even for a fantasy epic, but I think it's the kind of film that could grow on me. Heck, it's almost the kind of film I wish I could write - I've got the idea for a sword-and-sorcery film that ideally would also have comedic elements, and also serve as a relationship drama. But I don't want to give the idea away.
What I should keep in mind is that it's very difficult for a film to be all things at once. Most times I would say that a film needs to choose whether it wants to be an action film or a comedy, but since this one didn't take itself too seriously, it gets a bit of a pass. And while the special effects won't take home many awards, they are there, and they're believably fantastic (meaning "of fantasy", not necessarily "great"). It just seems like the cast and the filmmakers were enjoying themselves, and that goes a long way - especially to lift my spirits after watching "Black Swan", what a downer.
I don't say this very often - "Sequel, please!"
Also starring Danny McBride (last seen in "30:Minutes or Less"), James Franco (last seen in "The Green Hornet"), Zooey Deschanel (last seen in "(500) Days of Summer"), Justin Theroux (last heard in "Megamind"), Toby Jones (last seen in "Creation"), Charles Dance.
RATING: 7 out of 10 lightning bolts
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