Fort Doom looked very promising from the outset. I felt the setting and premise were intriguing, despite some minor anachronisms (more on that later). The acting was, for a low budget production, very competent, and the character exchanges were convincing.
The problems, however, were many. I felt that the setting of Fort Doom was too populated, especially for a place that was supposedly abandoned out of fear. I felt the story at this point should have been set up differently, perhaps an abandoned place with a nearby settlement that the locals feared. Clichéd, yes, but certainly more horror potential. I also felt that the major plot turn was one in which the writers tried too hard not to be cliché and to provide more of a surprise. It just didn't work for me, and it made the plot a bit too convoluted as a result.
Although other reviewers have noted anachronisms such as asphalt pavement, that didn't really bother me too much. The one to me that was much less forgivable was the fact that all the firearms in the film used smokeless powder. Smokeless powder wasn't really in use until the 1880s, and the movie is set in 1867. I felt this really harmed it's authenticity, since gun play was an important part of the film.
With so many problems, one would think it odd that I rated it so highly. Well, it is a step above the majority of low budget films I've seen in the general production quality and acting alone. And a number of characters were endearing. Lastly, anachronisms aside, I felt it probably did well at capturing the feel of life just after the civil war. There were most certainly several contingents of Confederate forces after 1865 (the official end of the war) for whom the war was not yet over, and whom carried on a reign of terror for many years afterwards. These acts of vengeance against the north (and the south) were extremely brutal, and it would certainly not be unheard of to find murders such as those depicted in the film committed on a semi-regular basis.
Although not overly impressive, I found myself entertained throughout.
The problems, however, were many. I felt that the setting of Fort Doom was too populated, especially for a place that was supposedly abandoned out of fear. I felt the story at this point should have been set up differently, perhaps an abandoned place with a nearby settlement that the locals feared. Clichéd, yes, but certainly more horror potential. I also felt that the major plot turn was one in which the writers tried too hard not to be cliché and to provide more of a surprise. It just didn't work for me, and it made the plot a bit too convoluted as a result.
Although other reviewers have noted anachronisms such as asphalt pavement, that didn't really bother me too much. The one to me that was much less forgivable was the fact that all the firearms in the film used smokeless powder. Smokeless powder wasn't really in use until the 1880s, and the movie is set in 1867. I felt this really harmed it's authenticity, since gun play was an important part of the film.
With so many problems, one would think it odd that I rated it so highly. Well, it is a step above the majority of low budget films I've seen in the general production quality and acting alone. And a number of characters were endearing. Lastly, anachronisms aside, I felt it probably did well at capturing the feel of life just after the civil war. There were most certainly several contingents of Confederate forces after 1865 (the official end of the war) for whom the war was not yet over, and whom carried on a reign of terror for many years afterwards. These acts of vengeance against the north (and the south) were extremely brutal, and it would certainly not be unheard of to find murders such as those depicted in the film committed on a semi-regular basis.
Although not overly impressive, I found myself entertained throughout.