As the title suggests, this is a great movie if you can forgive the flaws inherent in such a low-budget production. I won't say that it's perfect, as even after setting those limitations aside, it still has a few issues, pacing being one of them (the movie starts out slow, and has several long expository sections that could have easily been trimmed down). But turn on your suspension of disbelief, ignore the z-grade costumes and sets, and this movie is well worth watching.
The negative points of the movie are obvious enough, so I won't waste any of my precious 400 words on those. So instead I'll cover the positive aspects:
Storyline: The movie has a very well-written plot, with characters whose motivations make sense. The plot twist at the 2/3rds mark is the highlight of the film, and for me it has never failed to get a gasp out of first-time viewers.
Characters: Link and Davik both have a lot of depth. Link, in particular, is a far cry from the blank slate from the games (or worse, the emptyheaded prettyboy of Hero of Time), and Dan Hogan's acting is good enough to be in a professional film.
Choreography: The fight scenes are great, especially the one in the desert, where Link and Davik face Ertegun and his men. It is clear a lot of time and effort went into that part.
Score: While it is comprised of tracks from the scores of other films and games, the music is very well edited and fits into the movie seamlessly. It's actually very impressive how well the score fits, and I have to remind myself that the music wasn't actually written for those scenes.
To sum up:
There's been a lot of demand in recent years for a Legend of Zelda movie, and I'm honestly glad that Nintendo hasn't made one (though they seem to be slowly warming up to the idea). I don't trust that Nintendo would make a movie that has character depth like this movie does, I feel they would make something colorful and kid-friendly, to attract the same audience that their recent games go after.
The Sage of Darkness is everything that a Zelda movie should be, and I urge every Zelda fan to give it a chance. Don't judge it by the lack of flashy effects and million dollar sets - cast aside the need to be spoon-fed visual stimulation. Appreciate what the creators were able to do with such limited resources, and just give it the chance it deserves.
WebVideo A very rewarding film, if you give it a chance
As the title suggests, this is a great movie if you can forgive the flaws inherent in such a low-budget production. I won't say that it's perfect, as even after setting those limitations aside, it still has a few issues, pacing being one of them (the movie starts out slow, and has several long expository sections that could have easily been trimmed down). But turn on your suspension of disbelief, ignore the z-grade costumes and sets, and this movie is well worth watching.
The negative points of the movie are obvious enough, so I won't waste any of my precious 400 words on those. So instead I'll cover the positive aspects:
Storyline: The movie has a very well-written plot, with characters whose motivations make sense. The plot twist at the 2/3rds mark is the highlight of the film, and for me it has never failed to get a gasp out of first-time viewers.
Characters: Link and Davik both have a lot of depth. Link, in particular, is a far cry from the blank slate from the games (or worse, the emptyheaded prettyboy of Hero of Time), and Dan Hogan's acting is good enough to be in a professional film.
Choreography: The fight scenes are great, especially the one in the desert, where Link and Davik face Ertegun and his men. It is clear a lot of time and effort went into that part.
Score: While it is comprised of tracks from the scores of other films and games, the music is very well edited and fits into the movie seamlessly. It's actually very impressive how well the score fits, and I have to remind myself that the music wasn't actually written for those scenes.
To sum up:
There's been a lot of demand in recent years for a Legend of Zelda movie, and I'm honestly glad that Nintendo hasn't made one (though they seem to be slowly warming up to the idea). I don't trust that Nintendo would make a movie that has character depth like this movie does, I feel they would make something colorful and kid-friendly, to attract the same audience that their recent games go after.
The Sage of Darkness is everything that a Zelda movie should be, and I urge every Zelda fan to give it a chance. Don't judge it by the lack of flashy effects and million dollar sets - cast aside the need to be spoon-fed visual stimulation. Appreciate what the creators were able to do with such limited resources, and just give it the chance it deserves.