Review: "Wolfhound"
At last year's festival, the Russians tormented me with the inscrutable "Zhest", for which I have yet to fully forgive them. So my expectations were not high for "Wolfhound", and yet I had little choice but to see it, since the fantasy pickings this time around are a bit slim. While Putin and his lot still have a great deal to answer for, at least we can be thankful for this particular export.
"Wolfhound" plays it pretty much by the numbers right from the start, including a "Conan the Barbarian"-style village massacre at the opening, leading into a "You killed my father!" revenge plot that segues into a Campbellian hero's journey toward destiny, complete with assorted quest companions. However, whilst it might be a tad bit formulaic, the Russian spin makes this tale fresh to Western eyes, and the production values are great. Magnificent scenery, spectacular costumes (often elaborate and colorful), great props, plenty of extras. The numerous fight scenes are well-staged and the special effects, while never quite stellar, are sturdy enough. And the performances are pretty damn good.
One of the more interesting things is that even when the movie is near the three-quarter mark, it's still busily introducing characters (partially because the entourage of the princess seems to have an unearthly ability to keep growing even in the middle of nowhere...I'm pretty certain she set off with maybe 15 followers, and by my count she must've had close to 60 by the end). The script is very generous to the numerous supporting characters (particularly Ertan the woman warrior, who more or less comes out of nowhere), and easily a dozen or more of the second-rankers get their big scene and a good number of lines.
This probably would've played better as a two-part four-hour miniseries, and since it's evidently based on a fantasy tetralogy, there certainly isn't any lack of material. But even as a movie, it's stirring and magnificent, at least to fanboys.
Oh, and Wolfhound's bat companion is awesome--and done completely through CGI.
I gave this one a 9 rating, and was stunned when my friend Comic Book Lad concurred. So you know it's gotta be good. Find a chance to see it somehow, somewhere!
"Wolfhound" plays it pretty much by the numbers right from the start, including a "Conan the Barbarian"-style village massacre at the opening, leading into a "You killed my father!" revenge plot that segues into a Campbellian hero's journey toward destiny, complete with assorted quest companions. However, whilst it might be a tad bit formulaic, the Russian spin makes this tale fresh to Western eyes, and the production values are great. Magnificent scenery, spectacular costumes (often elaborate and colorful), great props, plenty of extras. The numerous fight scenes are well-staged and the special effects, while never quite stellar, are sturdy enough. And the performances are pretty damn good.
One of the more interesting things is that even when the movie is near the three-quarter mark, it's still busily introducing characters (partially because the entourage of the princess seems to have an unearthly ability to keep growing even in the middle of nowhere...I'm pretty certain she set off with maybe 15 followers, and by my count she must've had close to 60 by the end). The script is very generous to the numerous supporting characters (particularly Ertan the woman warrior, who more or less comes out of nowhere), and easily a dozen or more of the second-rankers get their big scene and a good number of lines.
This probably would've played better as a two-part four-hour miniseries, and since it's evidently based on a fantasy tetralogy, there certainly isn't any lack of material. But even as a movie, it's stirring and magnificent, at least to fanboys.
Oh, and Wolfhound's bat companion is awesome--and done completely through CGI.
I gave this one a 9 rating, and was stunned when my friend Comic Book Lad concurred. So you know it's gotta be good. Find a chance to see it somehow, somewhere!
posted by Purukivel at 7:05 PM
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