Dragonfyre

Oh my, the hate against this film... yes, the low budget DID reuse props from other films (especially LotR) so does every film company, big or small. You'd be amazed just how many films and TV shows ended up using that "cheezey" armor from the first Starship Troopers. Granted, the heroine using a "sting" replica was a little too obvious, but ya use what ya can get.

As for the people complaining of "never missing", either they're blind, or we watched different movies. I was laughing my backside off at how much dirt was flying. Apparently "Special Forces" training has magically gotten a whole lot worse lately, as the guy could only land about 1 in 10, and Scooter couldn't figure out how to walk a machine gun into a target at all; something anyone who's played video games in the last 3 decades knows how to do.

The actual tactics were surprisingly accurate. Don't know if that was accidental or intentional, but the orcs used actual movements, tactics, and formations that were used historically when we had that equipment. The soldier used fairly realistic military strategy. The redneck acted like a redneck. I gave points for that, even though Im not sure it was deliberate. Its so incredibly rare to see people in films that have even the least clue of what they're supposed to be doing.

Overall, yes, it was low budget. Yes, the story was rather predictable. Guess what, that plot is rather standard fare for a good quarter of the fantasy/SF genre anyway. Your not gonna find a new angle after 7 decades of works. It burnt up a few hours, wasn't as bad as Sci-fi or BBC effects, wasn't as insultingly stupid as most USA and TBS TV movie plots, had a few cute faces, some chuckles, and one or two moments of decent bad-assery, if you actually knew what you were seeing.

I've seen a hella lot worse here with better ratings.

As a lower level film maker myself I see many small issues that are distracting from an otherwise entertaining low budget movie. (the "after effects" gunshots/muzzle flashes/ejecting cartridges) coming from air soft style or resin prop guns. this can be distracting as its done way too much, and if they would have rented an armorer, a few real weapons and given more training to the actors on the use of them (for example you don't fire a barrett .50 from the hip while kneeling on a rooftop and actually expect to hit something) it would have helped keep the distractions down. and people watching the movie rather than questioning what they just saw.

the acting is not too...bad, a bit more emotion, a little less dumb-a$$/redneck stereo typing and some back-story would be helpful. the camera work is adequate but depending on the shooting conditions it seemed they the must have had a very limited amount of space to film the battle scenes in. with a little more thought and camera work i feel that the limited space used could be made to look like a lot more... it reminded me of shooting in someones backyard. one way or the other that's falls back on the producer for choosing the spot and the DP for not using what he had to its fullest.

as for the battle scenes, if the intent was to show overwhelming orc forces than they should have hired more extras, recycling eight people in rubber masks at a time throughout the movie just didn't work for me.

I am unsure what they spent the 1.5 mil on for the production, I have seen better production value for about a quarter mil. I could always nickel and dime it further but I really don't see a reason. Overall I liked what I saw and with so much poorly filmed/acted trash out there this was a nice change.

I agree with the other comment on the stupidity of the Orcs and that the heroes of the film never missing a shot and about the dead disappearing. However I was still entertained by the movie up until I watched a dead Orc being rolled off the front porch. The Orcs were said to be from a dimension that did not have or understand technology or modern weapons and yet the one rolled off the porch had on a pair of modern boots with dimpled molded soles. You would expect anyone going over the film for continuity or accuracy would have noticed that small point.

I was entertained, there was nothing on the TV and I was bored, so it served it's purpose, but it is never going to win them any awards, nor make them their fortunes.

I see I had to remove the u from between the o and l in the word molded as I could not post unless I corrected it to a US dictionary spelling. Never mind the fact that the soles of the boots were made in a M O U L D.

I created an account just for this movie. I had very low expectations as with most lesser known movies these days and this one slid under the bar (world record in the limbo dancing world)! Story bad, acting okay, costumes well done, directing sufficient, wardrobe good, filming not bad......and you'd think okay - we're onto something.....WRONG! I love low budget movies, but this one left me asking why I attempted to make it through the whole movie (and I did, as punishment for even trying)....save your precious time on the planet people and watch something like paint drying. (or an idiom pondering?) All in all - entertaining for some, disturbing for most and laughable to the masses!

Nit-picking small details is an easy way to write a review. "The special effects were poor, the acting was bad, the plot was stupid, blah blah blah." But every director knows that to make a good film you have to have a great many small and large details come together to do just one thing: entertain. Even several "bad" bits can be used effectively if the movie makers keep the goal in mind. The makers of this movie didn't let their little troubles get in the way, they just used what they had to good effect.

I personally feel that this film delivers in the entertainment category. I really had a good time watching it. While the usual fantasy film clichés abound, it manages to breathe new life into many of them by directly contrasting them to the real world reactions of normal earth folk. The idea is not necessarily original, but it always has potential.

The mix of modern weaponry against fantasy weaponry is really what this film is all about. Seriously now, who HASN'T watched "Lord of the Rings" and thought to themselves at one point or another, "Yeah... airstrike. That's what I'd do." Also, despite the drawbacks of poor animation and somewhat limited plot, the actors involved pull it off with enthusiasm, making themselves not just plausible, but even a little bit likable. The occasional witty comment was fitting, and the interplay between the orcs was reasonably fun to watch.

It exceeded my expectations and I had a good time watching it.