Memorable, crazy movie

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Greetings from Lithuania."The Dead Lands" (2014) tries to mix some genres, ideas, visual scenes it fells short very quickly in creating a simply involving movie. The story here isn't bad, but it is so uninvolvingly made that i finished watching this movie in like a week - seriously. I just didn't care AT ALL about two main characters, i didn't connect to them and i couldn't care less about the outcome. I liked the landscapes although, nature is very beautiful in here, but sadly that is the only positive thing i can say about "The Dead Lands". Overall, "The Dead Lands" isn't a terrible movie, it isn't a very bad one either, it's just that i tries mix some genres, but fails to create a simply involving movie. The story is very simple, but that isn't a problem. Problem is that couldn't care less for this story - editing, directing and especially script are very poor. Acting was OK just by the guy who played this "flesh eater" - everyone else were very quickly forgettable. There are plenty more better movies in the market, you can skip "The Dead Lands".

THE DEAD LANDS is the Kiwi version of APOCALYPTO, there's no two ways about it. The two films are way too similar for the similarities to be mere coincidences. And as I consider APOCALYPTO to be one of the very best films ever made, this rather low budget riff can't hope to hold a candle to the calibre of the Mel Gibson movie. Even so, it turns out to be quite enjoyable as a straightforward action flick.The story involves an upright, youthful hero whose tribe are massacred by enemies who then escape on foot across a barren and inhospitable landscape. He gives chase but can't hope to tackle them alone, so employs the services of a powerful and infamous warrior who eats the flesh of man to help him. This is where the film gets interesting: Lawrence Makoare (LORD OF THE RINGS) essays the role of the cannibal and is the only fleshed-out character in the whole thing. I love films where the bad guys are the heroes and Makoare's performance makes this film worthwhile and not JUST an APOCALYPTO rip-off.Elsewhere, the film is heavy on the action, although not quite as grisly as you'd imagine. The good news is that the action direction is fine, with choreography allowing you to see the protagonists instead of over-editing things too much. As a whole, THE DEAD LANDS weaves a lush and vibrant-looking picture that brings to life the Maori way, and how many Maori action films do we get in cinema anyway? Watch out for Pana Hema Taylor (from TV's SPARTACUS) as one of the bad guys.

Due to my current time restraints I'm going to skip the usual intellectually enthusiastic movie exaltation and just cut right to some idiotically strait-forward praise.This movie was quite an amazing surprise. I didn't expect it to be so good, to the point where I haven't seen an action movie like it in at least a year. And when I use the word "good," it's to symbolize an all-encompassing quality. The depths of the human spirit were represented in the film, clearly and intensely, not considering it's depletion of maybe romance and humor, at it's worst. I found the drama unmatched, and the action and cinematography are extremely inventive. Not to mention: it's the only good Mauri period piece I've ever seen, so I think I might've been waiting a long time for something like this.A true work of art.

In brief, this is an entertaining movie with lots of impressive fighting, a bit of supernatural colour, authentic period setting in pre-European New Zealand, and believable characters. The plot is simple: a chiefs son must avenge the dishonourable slaying of his father and his tribe, and with the support of his deceased grandmother (an effectively spooky Rena Owen) he seeks the help of a reclusive warrior with a dark past. The film deserves extra credit for the authentic portrayal of Maori fighting tradition and weapons, and the accuracy of the central role of honour, revenge, and supernatural beliefs in the warrior culture. I appreciated the decision to have Maori dialogue, I find the sound of the language itself expresses the warrior spirit.The theme of honour and revenge was also central to the plot of Utu, meaning "blood for blood" a 1984 film directed by Geoff Murphy and set during the early European colonial era in NZ. Worth watching if you enjoyed the Dead Lands and want to see more of the warrior culture of the Maori, although a much more philosophical and slow paced film than this one.Perhaps to add a little to the appreciation of both of these films, the depiction of Maori as extremely tough and fearless warriors is in no way exaggerated. These people lived very hard lives in a land with very few resources for humans. With no native animals to speak of, and few edible plants, Maori survived on little more than fish, a few birds, and a few berries and roots. The average life expectancy was early 30's. Despite this, they were tall, powerfully built people. There was fierce competition between tribes for resources, and they constantly fought each other over any pretext, usually ascribed to matters of honour and leading to endless blood feuds, but in at least some cases the real motive was hunger. Cannibalism was common, especially after the ostrich-like moa was hunted to extinction and the climate became colder.Despite these desperate circumstances, Maori retained a rich mythological heritage and believed their land was populated by spirits, good and evil, and it was imperative that their ancestors be honoured and remembered, just as depicted in the film. To this day some Maori can trace their lineage, literally naming their ancestors, back 1000 years to the first tough, brave warriors that crossed the vast pacific to find and colonise NZ.The only negative for me was that the film dragged a little in the middle.