One of the best films i have seen

A Disappointing Continuation

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

For start let me say that I am aware that this was adaptation of Mariya Semyonova's book which btw I haven't read, but I have read a lot of other fantasy/adventure books including many of Conan's adventures and I must say that this movie reminds me most of him (with some name changes and some addition of strength to main character).Volkodav visually looks very appealing and CGI was done well and not on expense of storyline (like most of Hollywood flicks this days). Although story was somewhat predictable and not very original it was nevertheless enjoyable experience.It was also refreshing seeing some of Slavic Mythology adapted to widescreen (and to be honest it would be nice to see some of ancient folk tales adapted into movies - it could be even commercially very profitable accompanied with adequate marketing)yes, its old fashioned and riddled with clichés yet I found it much more satisfactory then last Conan (2011) movie.My Rating 7,5/10

This has to be a very poor attempt of fantasy, if this is the best the Russians can do then we don't have to worry about the movie industry in the West. Its safe and sound, the storyline was poor the acting was like... well take some silent movie actors from the last century and tell them to actually speak. The actors at times appeared to be just standing around with literally no direction, it was as if the movie was made with 2 actors and 100 extras ha ha ha and that included the Ham bat LOL. Overall i only watched it because I paid GBP 10.00 for the DVD, I will now however read all the blurb on the packaging to make sure this never befalls me again..............

I spent my childhood in a country behind the "iron curtain", in the Soviet sphere of influence. As such, as a kid I've seen more Russian movies than most people in the west. And then, after the fall of USSR, I haven't seen any Russian movie at all. I was very intrigued upon hearing of this movie - I wanted to see how modern Russian cinematography looks like.I can say that the movie is a treat. It may not be the best fantasy movie ever, but it's definitely in the top of my list.The story is not really all that original, but it's different enough from the typical Hollywood to feel fresh. As others have noted, the movie deals with some philosophic aspects regarding fate and free will as well as Slavic mythology.The production value is just fabulous. I found the town of Galirad incredibly realistic and then I've read that it was actually built on 5 sq.Km (2 sq. miles). It looks real, it feels real. The costumes are also nicely done.The special effects are just incredible, especially considering that we're not talking about Hollywood budgets. The main character has a bat sidekick, which happens to be the most realistic CGI animal I've seen. I'm still not convinced it's 100%, I think they "cheated" by using a real bat in some of the shots.Acting is good, even though it's not stellar; the characters are somewhat underdeveloped.Overall, I think it's a must-see movie - if only to see something different than you're used to. (as an aside, just after I've seen the movie, I checked the TV; "Troy" was on. It looked so fake, so cliché, so much obsessed with the big stars it had on-screen that the story had to take the backseat, that I couldn't watch it.) With this film, the Russians have shown that they still can do great movies. I can't wait to see more of them!

I was amazed by the quality of his film. Acting is better than regular, CGI is right in your face. But the big difference with US pictures is that the narration here clearly has elements of Russian Folk Traditions, something that really adds to the usual fantasy/action films. Many subplots fuel the story and help establishing a singular environment that has an identity of its own. Costumes and sets also display a 1st class quality know-how. The Film was made for 20M US$ and earned more than that at the domestic Box Office in just 3 weeks of exploitation. Something that shows that Russian Audiences are clearly eager to see local productions. Definitely a must see, at least for curiosity!