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Apr 16, 2015 By Zach Hollwedel Web Exclusive

It is surprisingly rare that U.S. audiences find themselves cinematically transported to ancient cultures, let alone those half a world away. Yet Toa Fraser’s new film, The Dead Lands, does just that. Set in the world of the early Maori—the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand—the film chronicles young Hongi’s quest for revenge after a warring tribe slaughters nearly everyone in his village. Alone, inexperienced, and weak, Hongi (James Rolleston) seeks help in vanquishing the rival tribe from the mysterious Warrior who inhabits a realm known as the Dead Lands and is considered a living monster.

Though it is a gory, bloody, action film, The Dead Lands is a tale of redemption. The bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Warrior (played by Lawrence Makoare) has a terribly tainted history, one for which he knows he has been banned from his ancestors’ afterlife. Similarly, Hongi was too weak and too terrified to fight back when his village was decimated, even though he was the chief’s son, and for that he is a persona non grata. Together, the two men pursue Hongi’s targets, and only through extermination of the rival tribe might they both find peace. In their pursuit, they turn to their ancestors for guidance; the dream-like sequences in which they seek advice (important as they might be to the plot) slow the story, which is already pretty pared down. Similarly, sporadic side quests and encounters do little to further the plot, merely adding gratuitous action for the sake of a higher body count. When the fights do come—and they come often—they’re redolent of classic Samurai films. The battle choreography is balletic and pointed, each movement and facial expression nuanced and designed to both strike fear and demonstrate lethal skill.

These fights are part of why credit is indeed due to Fraser and screenwriter Glenn Standring. Their depiction of a people infrequently committed to film is commendable, regardless of its inconsistent entertainment value. The story slows to the point of dragging at times, and the film proves that too much of a good thing can be bad (or, at least, dull) when it comes to the violence. In the end, The Dead Lands too frequently fizzles when it should sizzle. It’s not a bad movie, and it offers something uncommon, especially to U.S. audiences, but it’s just not really that great, either.

www.thedeadlandsmovie.com

Author rating: 5/10