To start this review off, I need to be honest: my 6 year old daughter loved this film. But her review would be fully based on the fact that Keelin becomes Queen...
I know I am reviewing a kids film, however I was so bored while watching this, that I wanted to write a review. Studio 100 does not make the best movies but they make acceptable movies and this one was just bad, very bad.
The good things:
The Story: Even for a kids film, the number of inconsistencies are legion. The story is full of plotholes and really has no depth at all. The ending is just terrible, imaging the gates of the underworld are opened and all the creatures and demons flow out with at their head a leader that cannot be defeated, sounds cool right... Now imagine they assault a village and the lot of them are stopped by 3 people holding some barstools to a window and door. Only 3 (including the leader) have the brains to contront the "heroes of the story" at the other side of the house, sounds lame right... The way the main bad guy is defeated is just sad, tie him up and then send him back. Not only does it sound lame but it also invalidates all the previous episodes in the series since the creatures are always portrayed as unique and powerfull. Next to this they waste time with additional characters (pixies, talking skulls,..) that add nothing to this movie whatsoever.
The acting: Elves need to be kind of emotionless but that does not excuse the actors to not act at all. The queen, Silvar and Aurel are lifeless, even the talking skulls in this movie have more facial expression. The thing is that these characters are featured a lot in this movie which makes it really disturbing to the movie experience. The main cast from the series and previous film does a good job, not amazing but certainly passable.
The movie would have worked better with a more simple story which has more depth, better acting and an ending that at least shows some struggle.
The good things:
- some of the jokes work (especially everything Vega, Cooper, Sacha, Helena related).
- Nice sets and art for the budget it was made with. The elven pieces have a nice, colourfull feeling to them. Although they miss some scale, it feels more like an outhouse than a palace, but I can look over that.
- The bad guy works as the bad guy, best acting in this movie.
The Story: Even for a kids film, the number of inconsistencies are legion. The story is full of plotholes and really has no depth at all. The ending is just terrible, imaging the gates of the underworld are opened and all the creatures and demons flow out with at their head a leader that cannot be defeated, sounds cool right... Now imagine they assault a village and the lot of them are stopped by 3 people holding some barstools to a window and door. Only 3 (including the leader) have the brains to contront the "heroes of the story" at the other side of the house, sounds lame right... The way the main bad guy is defeated is just sad, tie him up and then send him back. Not only does it sound lame but it also invalidates all the previous episodes in the series since the creatures are always portrayed as unique and powerfull. Next to this they waste time with additional characters (pixies, talking skulls,..) that add nothing to this movie whatsoever.
The acting: Elves need to be kind of emotionless but that does not excuse the actors to not act at all. The queen, Silvar and Aurel are lifeless, even the talking skulls in this movie have more facial expression. The thing is that these characters are featured a lot in this movie which makes it really disturbing to the movie experience. The main cast from the series and previous film does a good job, not amazing but certainly passable.
The movie would have worked better with a more simple story which has more depth, better acting and an ending that at least shows some struggle.
