Midnight Chronicles

First thing i did after watching this movie was go on the internet to see if it actually was the pilot to Midnight the series i'd been watching. Unfortunately this wasn't the case which has left me with a very unsatisfied feeling. You do get a good introduction into the world of Midnight, but when you feel the story is just about to take off the ending credits start playing. I just hope the makers of this movie see the actual potential of the story and decide that they have made a pilot after all and not a film that has to carry its own weight.

The acting actually wasn't too bad and the sceneries combined with the computer generated settings gave the movie an authentic feel.

This fantasy movie is set in a world where the bad guys won. Consequently, most of the running time is describing what the bad guys are doing. Good guys also appear, but they are not the main characters. This whole set-up is a refreshing break from the whole lot of other genre movies clinging to the hero all the time. It's a shame that apparently many reviews are rather negative because many people wouldn't want a picture outside the frame of the usual clichés. The effects and acting have the quality of a TV series, not a zillion dollar blockbuster, but since we all watch TV series, too, I don't think that should be much of a problem. I enjoyed the movie - except the sudden ending, without a sequel for me to see. The makers of such movies deserve more praise, I'd say.

This movie was apparently supposed to be a television series based on a pretty good fantasy role playing game that I am vaguely familiar with. Considering that White Wolf had their short lived, but popular Vampire series, I suppose this wasn't a vain hope.

Midnight Chronicles does violate one huge tenant of all good fantasy literature: make one of the characters unfamiliar with the world, so it can be explained to the audience slowly and clearly. If Midnight Chronicles had a Richard Cypher from the non-magical country next door, or a hobbit from the shire, or a Harry Potter who grew up with Muggles or a Gen who comes from a small village on a remote island, or a Paul Atreides who must attend his lessons, or a Buck Rogers from the 20th century, etc. If there was one character who was as lost as me going into it, then it would be fixed.

It only got a 6 because it is a B grade fantasy adventure movie in the grand tradition of Hawk The Hunter, but Midnight Chronicles is better than most of the stuff that get's on TV. Sets and costumes and makeup were decent. Acting was kind of goth and pretentious for film, but better than a lot of TV shows. Even the orc masks were pretty good. Other than violating the "one character must be ignorant" rule, I can see no reason this wasn't picked up for a series. So I wish the best to everyone still pulling for this project.

Coming into this film, I had no pretensions. I am only somewhat familiar with the Midnight RPG that this is based on, and I must admit, the setting is one of the best parts about this deathly slow film. At an hour and forty minutes, it certainly feels its length.

Set in a kingdom held under the weight of a near eternal darkness, the bulk of the story follows a 'Legate', a sort of warrior/mage that are the inquisitors of the world, doing the bidding of the godlike 'Darkness'. There is a lot of mythology in the story, way to much for its ambitions. I found the setting to be tantalizing and evocative. The filmmakers used most of their budget on moody VFX shots of cityscapes filled with towers and castles, but left little for the costumes and actors. I swear, most of the actors in the film were culled from the nearest community theater where the film was shot. With the exception of the darkly intriguing Charles Hubbel as the Legate Mag Kiln, none of the actors are interesting in the least.

In the end, the film really does try to tell an intrigue laden story, but it is constantly sabotaged by its own ambitions. This story and world may have worked in the hands of a better director, better actors and a more coherent, less busy script. If you're interested, check it out, otherwise skip it.

For a low budget film I thought this was actually quite well done. It was 10x the film the Dungeon and Dragon movies were, and makes all the Uwe Boll films look pathetic in comparison *cough*Bloodrayne*cough*.

What I particularly liked was they didn't waste a red cent on horribly mediocre stunt work, and pointless fight scenes with silly explosions. They stuck to the story, and clearly knew their limitations. I'd put this film slightly above the much larger budgeted Eragon, and it left me wanting more, not wishing I had the last 2 hours of my life back.

I look forward to a sequel to this fanfilm'esquire first attempt, or at least get more substantial directorial work for Christian Petersen.