Friday, September 30, 2011
Edohotep
Director: Steven R. Monroe.
Writers: Raul Inglis and Rafael Jordan.
Cast: Tahmoh Penikett, Michael Worth and Kacey Barnfield.
SyFy Channel should consider rebranding. They do a better job with the fantasy films they choose than the science fiction and terror products combined. Jabberwock is a simple tongue-in-cheek tale that plays with Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem, but spells the monster’s name without the y.
Either there were copyright issues that the film's producers could not wrangle, or they were simply trying to be original. To loosely base the monster on the design by artist John Tenniel gives this film a continuity that is much appreciated. Not every detail, like the creature’s long antennae, canonical beard and broad buckteeth are recreated, but any avid arts aficionado will recognize the silhouette.
As for this made-for-TV product, the tale is generic but yet interesting. The music is remarkably well done. It’s rousing and ambitious, and without it, it would be like watching Star Wars Episode IV without John William’s soundtrack. Director Steven Monroe (I Spit on Your Grave) and writers Raul Inglis and Rafael Jordon do a good job in keeping the product respectful to the poem without being too overt. The dialogue turns the stanzas from the poem into spoken lines to create some tension, and how that all works depends on the delivery by the actors. They do a reasonable job at trying to be fearful of a digitally created monster.
And as a final nod to how enduring this poem is, the writers put their own spin it on by saying it’s an old bedtime tale invented to scare children, so they don’t go wandering off late at night.
Instead of a dreaded nightmarish fare, this film is an enjoyable B-movie romp that works well for the medium. It belongs on the small screen to hide any blemishes that would otherwise be too apparent if it was theatrical. And any larger budget might have helped correct any historical inaccuracies. If this film was to be taken seriously, then maybe the building of the world would look more appropriate for the era. It can be high fantasy, where everyone looks good, or a recreation of the sanitary conditions prior to the Black Plague.
Even putting a dragon into the tale would make no difference. When the jabberwock flies in and terrorizes a faraway village near the mountains because of the actions of Cid (Raffaello Degruttola), who provides mostly comedy relief, only Francis(Tahmoh Penikett), a blacksmith can save the day. He has taken over his father’s business and when the beast comes calling, he’s the only pillar of support for the populace. His brother Alec (Michael Worth) does not arrive right away, but does help champion a few battles.
There’s some thought put into the structure of this tale, and it speaks about how communities are built. Someone has to rise into the position of leadership. But before anyone can say this story is reminiscent of Chris Sander’s How to Tame Your Dragon, this movie is not. Francis is nothing like the young and weak Hiccup.
Penikett is a gentle stoic giant. Perhaps these are the only type of roles he can easily play, and in this movie’s case, it suits him well. To have him play against the traditional heroic cues is perfect. He makes the character of Francis look sublime, but he can be gruff when he comes out of his shell to lead the charge. Instead of his more handsome counterpart, his brother, Francis is still the character who comes of age, and wins the girl.
Even in this product, there has to be a damsel in distress. When the real knight in shining armour can not do the job, Francis has to figure out what is going on. And yes, he finally pulls out this movie’s equivalent of the Vorpal Sword. The blade looks mean and that is all the audience needs to know.
This movie sets itself up for a possible sequel, but once is good enough.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10.
A scene from the show at the SyFy Network:
Jabberwock at SyFy
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Posted in: 2011 release,dungeons and dragons,fantasy,syfy,syfy network,television,television review
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