Search - Dragon Wars - D-War [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

A new force in fantasy

Emmit W. Stewart | Canton, OH USA | 02/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think that most reviewers seem to be missing the point that a new form of cinematic art has been coming into existence in the last forty years. It can best described as the Heroic Fantasy Epic. Of course, it has been around in literature for a long time, but only in the last forty years have movie makers begun developing the tools to produce the effects needed to bring these stories to life. It requires believable creatures that cannot possibly be represented by human actors or animals in costume and makeup. It requires a beleivable representation of magic on a huge scale. And, it requires an audience that is willing to accept that the "real" physical world we see around us is not the only possible world, and that it is possible for an intelligent, imaginative person to create a fictional world where some of the laws of science as we know it do not necessarily apply.

This is such a movie. It is complete fantasy and, as such, many of the rules of logic that govern other genres do not apply. It is not necessary that the character of the Hero be fully developed. It is sufficient that his intentions are Good and that he is brave and reasonably likeable. Of course, it is much better if he is a fully rounded character and that his feelings be well expressed, but he is really a symbol for the forces of Goodness and, therefore need not be too carefully drawn. Likewise, The villain is only a symbol for the forces of Evil, so he can be even less well defined. In the same vein, the Deus Ex Machina is a perfectly acceptable device to bring about the destruction of the forces of Evil, since it is a major belief in almost every major religion that a human being alone is not capable resisting true Evil and that faith in, or the grace of, some deity is absolutely needed to overcome that Evil.

In essence the plot of an Epic fantasy is basically a form of melodrama. First, the Hero is introduced, along with the Heroine and the rest of the Good people. Then the Villain enters, usually disguised (thinly) as a good person. The Villain then gathers his henchmen secretly while gaining the confidence of the good people and tricking them into doing things that will later put them completely in his power. The Hero usually suspects the Villain but he is not believed until it is too late and the Villain has sprung his trap. When the trap is sprung, the good people try to resist, but to no avail, the villain has them trapped and helpless. Meanwhile, the Hero perseveres and eventually finds the Villains weakness. He confronts the villain and foils his plan, but the villain has foreseen this and responds with brute force. The good people dispair, but the Deus Ex Machina intervenes and the Villain is driven off. the good people celebrate. Not every Fantasy follows this plot exactly, but in almost every case the Villain menaces, The Hero resists, and Goodness wins in the end, no matter how dark the outcome appears to be at the end of the next-to-last scene.

This movie is a fantasy epic. If you follow the directors comments in the special features, you will know that it was built around some of the best special effects and CIG work I have ever seen. Once once he had that, the director took them and his script to Hollywood and recruited actors, sound designers, and a composer. The characters are not well developed because the movie is so packed with action that there is no time to waste on expressing the feelings or opinions of the cast. There is no time to show the developing love story of the hero and heroine, so the narrator simply tells you that they fell in love and they then react to the events as a person in love would.

I loved this movie. Yes, it has some flaws, but they are overshadowed by the hard work and effort that the makers put out to bring it forth. If you examine all the great classic movies of all time, they all had their flaws. But what made them great was that they grabbed your attention and kept you watching in spite of it. This movie does just that. You are swept from one action to the next without a pause for breathe. You don't miss the love scenes because you know that If the charactors had stopped moving long to make love, they would have been killed or eaten. In the final analysis, this is a well-crafted action adventure filled with exceptinally good special effects and backed with an excellent musical score. The sound effects are just as good as the outstanding visual effects. Ignore the critics, sit back and enjoy the story and you'll have a good time."