The Dungeon Siege games started coming out with the influx of new fantasy games released after the critical and commercial success of Neverwinter Nights. While being almost a precise clone of the Dungeons & Dragons-based computer games, it made a name and place for itself in the gaming market and, in my mind, is a great success and an incredible set of fantasy games.
Then Uwe Boll got his ridiculously poor directing paws into the rights for creating a film adaptation of the Dungeon Siege world. The plot does hold true to some of the stereotypes from fantasy cinema, novels and games. It keeps the spirit of the games in place. That is honorable and usually helps in building comprehension of the events of the film. In terms of the film In the Name of the King, this is not one of the usual times. The film, while featuring some good things (some insightful lines that hold true to the real world for instance), is bi-polar in execution and is pulp (disposable) fantasy cinema at its core.
Music often doesn’t fit the mood of the scenes. Somber funeral music does not match battle scenes. Fast paced music more suited to battle does not match up with burial scenes. There are times when the music fits and it is great. However, the rest of the time it conveys a different emotional feel that doesn’t correspond with what you are seeing.
The script, for the most part, is simplistic. There really isn’t that much of a problem with simplicity though, if the plot that is being thrown at you is a complex one. Let’s face it; the movie’s plot is complex and convoluted, featuring a set of plots and counter-plots regarding war, treason and assassination. A little simplicity to allow for the story to sink in a little is a good thing.
We are talking about a film based on a fantasy game, based off of feudal Western Europe. Ninjas are not a part of the army of Western Europe. Assassins would fit in. Ninjas do not. Armor ranges from hardened leather, more akin to ancient Greece or Rome, to the more accurate chainmail, platemail and scalemail armors.
Fight scenes are ridiculously rushed in terms of choreography and it shows. Unless it’s focusing on one of the big name stars, the fight scenes make the Power Rangers seem as refined as a Bruce Lee martial arts exhibition. When focusing on the bigger names though, the fight scenes are refined and absolutely beautiful.
Casting, although incredible, seems to fall flat on its face. Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Matthew Lillard and, oddly enough, Kristianna Loken steal the show and make this blend of genre stereotypes almost worth seeing in the theater. Burt Reynolds should’ve had the sense to turn down Boll for a role. It is worth a rental, if you need something to laugh at.
The film has some good scenes that are original in the context that they’re brought up in. However, much of the film is recycling scenes from notably better films. There are scenes reminiscent of Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, and Sparticus. These scenes are presented in such a way that they are essentially copied and pasted into the context of the Dungeon Siege world.
While the movie had the potential for greatness, the right circumstances weren’t met. Uwe Boll should not have directed it. He’s a better producer than he is a director. Sure, that’s not saying much, but it’s true. To follow through with the tradition of arbitrary entertainment grading scales, In the Name of the King gets two tossed dwarves out of five. The other three were thrown back to the games as compensation for bearing such a grievous insult.