Movie Review: Mythica: The Dark Spore

Mythica: The Dark Spore a.k.a Mythica 2: The Darkspore
Arrowstorm Entertainment, Camera 40 Productions, USA, 2015.

Adventures of wizardess Marek and her friends continue. Warrior Thane (Adam Johnson), half-elf thief Dagen (Jake Stormoen) and priestess Teela (Nicola Posener) are celebrating the victory of the previous quest but the feast turns into a wake. Teela's sister Caeryn (Natalie Devine Riskas) is murdered and everyone gets depressed. Thane starts drinking again, Dagen continues womanizing and Teela leaves. Marek sees terrible visions about evil necromancer Kishkumen (Ryan Palmer). Wizard Gojun (Kevin Sorbo) returns and tells that Marek is a necromancer too. The stone that the Priestess Sisters were protecting one part of the Dark Spore that the evil necromancer Szorlok (Matthew Mercer) seeks. Szorlok was beaten by Gojun and he is still weak but gains power with each fragment of Dark Spore he gets.

Szorlok

Kishkumen

To avenge Caeryn and stop necromancers destroying the world, the team packs up and travels to ruined city where the second fragment is hidden. Old enemies from the previous film, pimp and crime lord Peregus Malister (Robert Jayne) and Marek's former slave master Vagamal (Michael Flynn) plot together. Peregus sends female bounty hunters after her. They and angry fairies, orcs, swamp wights and a dragon make the life hard for the adventures. Marek's dark spells endanger the whole group's life and the team spirit is strained to the maximum. The only one who understands her is a rescued hunky dark elf Qole (Rocky Myers).

Thane, Teela, Marek, Dagen and Qole

Vagamal

Qole

The first "Mythica" was a fresh swords & sorcery adventure and the sequel is continuing the trend. The first film introduced the characters. In the second movie the adventure starts to gain epic momentum and the storyline gets darker undertones. Can Marek control her corrupting powers or will she become a servant of evil? The scene with the fairies is goofy but somehow it balances the darkness of the second half. The characters get more complex now and Melanie Stone's character Marek is spunky but like all his friends she has her internal struggles. Thane is honourable but hot tempered and drunkard, Dagen is a devil-may-care ladies' man but struggles to be taken seriously and Teela is torn between duty and love.

The budget is low again but there is a impressive number of extras in the battle scenes, and the action scenes look well done (TV-movie level that is). The cinematography looks nice and the sceneries of Utah makes a good background for a fantasy setting. The self-irony of SyFy and Asylum productions is unknown and Arrowstorm crew and the actors take creating the fantasy world seriously.

Dragon with a touch of Dark Spore's powers

Necromancer's temple could be from a cover of a metal cd

What is nice also is that also the music has been put effort into. Here's Kristen Jensen's theme song "Tell Me" from the movie:

Rating: Good

Starring: Melanie Stone, Adam Johnson, Jake Stormoen, Nicola Posener, Rocky Myers, Christopher Robin Miller, Kevin Sorbo, Natalie Devine Riskas, Robert Jayne, Matthew Mercer, Brogan Johnson, Ryan Palmer, James C. Morris, Kali Wright, Michael Flynn, Larissa Beck, Oscar Sanchez, Isaac Faller, Helena Peacock, Clare Niederpruem, Kynan Griffin, Nyk Fry, Griffin Bonacci, Dave Bresnahan, Andy Fernuik, Crystal Harris, Andrew L. McClain, Duke Warren
Director: Anne K. Black

Movie Review: Mythica: A Quest for Heroes

Mythica: A Quest for Heroes

Arrowstorm Entertainment, Camera 40 Productions, USA, 2014.

Old Priest of Goddess Anasett sends Priestess-sisters Teela (Nicola Posener) and Caeryn (Natalie Devine Riskas) to take a magical stone to safety before evil necromancer and his orc army can get it. They do not get very far before a wandering Ogre catches Caeryn and also the stone is lost. 

Teela

Young slave girl Marek (Melanie Stone) wants to be a wizard, but her teacher Gojun Pye (Kevin Sorbo) is leaving the village. Gojun suggests that Marek join a band of adventurers to gain experience if possible. Marek has a club foot, so running away from enemies is hard.

Marek

Gojun Pye

After using magical self-defence on her sadistic owner Vagamal (Michael Flynn) Marek escapes. Dwarf Hammerhead's (Christopher Robin Miller) tavern is a meeting place for adventurers but tough for newcomers. Teela wants to hire heroes to save her sister, but she does not have much money and the mission is dangerous. Marek wants to join the quest but first she must find more heroes. Marek has previously met drunkard but honourable soldier Thane (Adam Johnson) and womanizer half-elf thief Dagen (Jake Stormoen), so maybe they want to gain fame and fortune.

Hammerhead'

Thane, Marek, Dagen and Teela

However there is something evil inside Marek that makes her forsaken by gods. Some of Marek's spells are dark and dangerous to her friends. The underdog heroes must survive battles with monsters and beasts but there is also some time for budding romances.

Ogre's bad day

Mythica-series is an Indie project that despite low budget looks professionally made, and captures the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons style RPG-novels. It has something that the official "Dungeons& Dragons" movie failed although the other films in the series were pretty good. The film collected funding as a kickstarter and it seems that the budget was only $100,000 but it atill looks impressive. The folks at Arrowstorm Entertainment with their limited budget seem have talent and eager attitude to make fantasy adventures and so the series has gained fans from the role-players. Matbe someone should hire them to make some Dungeons & Dragons movies. Much of the adventure is quite familiar from fantasy adventures such as "Xena" or "Hercules", but the world is surprisingly dark and the unique twist is having a crippled heroine who has a dark side.

Of the cast everyone does a nice job. Kevin 'Hercules' Sorbo is the most famous of the cast. Nicola Posener was a familiar face from "Dawn of the Dragon Slayer" as was also Adam Johnson. Jake Stormoen has appeared in couple of recent films with Danny Trejo and Dolph Lundgren. And Melanie Stone has starred other Arrowstorm productions and other Indie films. "Mythica: A Quest for Heroes" is a promising start for a fantasy film series, with production values that mask the limitations of the budget.

Rating: Good

Starring: Melanie Stone, Adam Johnson, Jake Stormoen, Nicola Posener, Christopher Robin Miller, Natalie Devine Riskas, Kevin Sorbo, Robert Jayne, Kee Chan, Jay Beacham, Sebastian Michael Barr, Michael Flynn, Adele Faller, Jakob Tice, Bryan Allen, Mark Rose, Matt Burch, Jake Trumbo, Don Nerdin, James C. Morris, Crystal Harris, Ben Alexander, Braxton McAllister, Owen Faller, Shielia Erickson, Nyk Fry, Kira Peacock, Andrew Liston, Lauren Spalding, Clark Edmunds, Ryan Palmer, Griffin Bonacci, Dave Bresnahan, Brandon Lee Christian, Angella Joy, Clare Niederpruem, Karen Peterson, Marc Van Lent, Kjirstin Youngberg 

Director: Anne K. Black

Movie Review: The Last Dragon (1985)

The Last Dragon a.k.a Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon
Delphi III Productions, Motown Productions, USA, 1985.

'Bruce' Leroy Green (Taimak) reaches the highest level of Kung Fu that his Master (Thomas Ikeda) can teach. Leroy travels to Harlem to search for Master Sum Dum Goy to learn the secrets of mystical power the Glow. Sho'Nuff (Julius J. Carry III) , the self-proclaimed Shogun of Harlem bullies everyone and Leroy is still not prepared to oppose him. Sho'Nuff apparently has a bad memory as he is always asking his followers who he is.

'Bruce' Leroy Green

The Master

Sho'Nuff

Nasty pop mogul Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Murney) tries to kidnap singer Laura Charles (Vanity) to promote awful music videos of his protege Angela (Faith Prince) but Leroy saves her. Eddie hires every hoodlum in Harlem to beat Leroy into pulp. Luckily Leroy gets new friends and also some tips about women from his bratty little brother Richie (Leo O'Brien).

Eddie Arkadian

Laura Charles

Angela Viracco

This is a movie I saw as a kid, and it was cool then. It is fun still although 1980s campiness is more apparent now.  "The Last Dragon" is a nice 1980s- action comedy with Bruce Lee-admiring hero. The story has tongue-in-cheek humour and no-one dies. Bruce Lee's films tend to be more serious, more this follows the comedical approach of Jackie Chan. Taimak kicks well and it is a small wonder he hasn't made a bigger film career as Kung Fu star. "The Last Dragon" has remained Taimak's most famous film role but he has made a successful career as Martial Arts instructor.

Founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy produced a blaxploitation homage, including Disco/Pop songs from his stars so the film is almost a semi-musical. Prince's protege Vanity has the role of the lady in distress. As the story is made to appeal younger generation, the sharpest edges of the 70s blaxploitation films are omitted, and so the hero is not Sexual Tyrannosaurus as many colleagues in the 70s, but a shy guy who has a lot to learn about the Power of Luuv. Still his Kung Fu skills make women have crush on him. This is probably the only film where woman tries to seduce a man by showing him a Bruce Lee movie.

Wooo!

William H. Macy has a role as Laura's manager JJ.

JJ

Rating: Good

Starring: Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney, Julius J. Carry III, Faith Prince, Leo O'Brien, Mike Starr, Jim Moody, Glen Eaton, Ernie Reyes Jr., Roger Campbell, Esther Marrow, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Jamal Mason, B.J. Barie, Sarita Allen, Jacqui Lee Smith, Jodi Moccia, Sal Russo, Chazz Palminteri, Frank Renzulli, Torrance Mathis, André D. Brown, David Claudio, Kirk Taylor, Shonte, Janet Bloem, Lisa Dalton, Henry Yuk, Michael G. Chin, Fredric Mao, Thomas Ikeda, William H. Macy, Trulie MacLeod, Gary Aprahamian, Lou David, Verne Williams, Captain Haggerty, Ernie Reyes Sr., Robert Silver, Clayton Prince, Brandon Schultz, Carl Anthony Payne II, Anthony Cortino, Sebastian Hitzig, Lia Chang, Derek Schultz, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, Peter Traina, Freddie Stroble, Jack Meeks, Joe Dabenigno, Soo Gin Lee, Scott Coker, Julian Villanueva, Charlene, Joey Gironda, Tony D. Head, Silvia Mathis Manning, Jill Powell, Kariim Ratcliff, Monique Lisa Reilly, Ron Van Clief 

Director: Michael Schultz