This was really a surprise of a movie. "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is somewhat of a mixture between "Lord of the Rings" and "Dungeons & Dragons". And if you enjoy high adventure, sword and sorcery, or enjoy (or ever have) playing Dungeons & Dragons, then chances are very likely that you will enjoy this movie as well.
The storyline in "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is rather interesting, especially because it is well thought through, and director John Lyde did a good job in managing to entangle the threads of the three different tales of the three main characters; the elf Nemyt (played by Danielle Chuchran), the human Keltus (played by Richard McWilliams) and the orc Kulliman (played by Paul D. Hunt).
Without getting too much into fleshing out the actual storyline, I will just quickly skim it and summarize. The story is about three unlikely adventurers who have to join forces against an awakened evil that threatens the entire land.
The storyline is actually quite much like something you would find in most high adventure tales of sword and sorcery; it is something taken right out from a Dungeons & Dragons game. And I love it. It was so cool. Sure this wasn't as grand and epic on the same scale as "The Lord of the Rings" movies - given they were on two entirely different budgets. But "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" actually fared better, much better, than all of the three "Dungeons & Dragons" movies that are out on the movie market so far.
The acting in the movie was quite good. And the above three mentioned actress and actors did good jobs with their given characters, and they also fared well in the combat and melee situations, which just improved the enjoyment of the movie quite a lot.
As far as costumes went, then "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" had some pretty nice touches to the costumes and the make-up of the various creatures and characters. It was all quite believable, and it worked out quite well. However, one thing that didn't sit well with me, was the sounds like roaring and growling lions that the orcs had to make. Yeah, I get that they are of savage minds, but come on, those sounds were just a bit too much.
Another great treats for fans of the fantasy genre and people who enjoy the Dungeons & Dragons games. In "SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" you will see humans, dwarfs, elves, orcs, mermaids/sirens, dragons, zombies, a minotaur, and even two deities.
The movie was beautifully shot, with lots of good camera work. And there was a lot of visual treats for the eyes from the various locations and scenery found throughout the movie.
"SAGA: Curse of the Shadow" is highly recommendable if you enjoy adventures, sword and sorcery, or if you are fan of the fantasy genre in general. I enjoyed this movie tremendously, and was totally caught off guard at how cool this movie turned out to be.
