In the Name of the King

Movie: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Plot: The story of In the Name of the King is nothing to write home about. It is a pretty standard 'bad guy close to good guy betrays good guy for power but dies anyway so the real bad guy can lose to the good guy' story. There are no major twists and turns, and nothing truly engaging about the story. All of that said, I didn't feel like there were plot holes you could wheel a catapult through, it basically held itself together and got done what it set out to accomplish - tell a pretty bland story. Oh, and it takes over two hours to tell it.

Cast/Costume: If you haven't seen the list of prominent actors and actresses in this movie, go click the link at the top of this post and get ready to be impressed. To me, the cast was very strong, albeit not exactly well matched. Getting over the fact you have a blending of accents, it's hard for me to put Ray Liota and John Rhys-Davies in the same room together in a medieval fantasty setting... or Jason Statham and Burt Reynolds... or... well nevermind. One thing that bugged me a little bit was Brian J. White's immaculate hair and beard trimming. On it's own it's not a huge deal, but put beside some of the other characters he's in the army with who have their shaggy beards and long hair, and his appearance strains my willful suspension of disbelief, and I had to disbelief a lot of this movie.

Setting/special effects: This is where Name of the King basically saved the entertainment value for me. The locations where the movie was shot were beautiful, the sets were convincing and well done (although some of the villages were a little too pristine), and the special effects were cool. What this all proves in the end is that even with good actors, location, and special effects, a weak story will drag down the best of intentions. Looking at his history, Director Uwe Boll's 'intentions' haven't always steered him well in the past either.

Good - Cast, location, Leelee Sobieski

Bad - Ninjas, anti-gravity orc (oops I mean krug) slingshot, 127 minute playtime.

Entertainment level: One out of Two - I was entertained.

Final thought: Seriously, Ninjas?