Dwarves of Demrel, 2018, Chris Raney -- Amazon
So, it is well known to the five readers of this blog that I am a D&D player. More accurately, an ex-D&D player over 50. And if you know any other ex-D&D players over 50, you know that we remember the days when there were almost no fantasy or swords & sorcery based TV or movie media for us to ogle. Now with The Witcher or The Lord of the Rings (among many other things) setting the bar, we have tons of decent material, and even more (so much more) less than stellar choices. But that doesn't stop me from occasionally walking the stacks (metaphorically speaking) to see if there is anything I might want to watch.
Furious is a pseudo-historical story of the Huns (Mongols? Mongols) invading Russia, more precisely, the attack on the city of Ryazan, and the defense led by the knight Evpaty Kolovrat. The frenetic action focused movie, of a style oft attributed to Wuxia films, is likely lacking on historical accuracy (honestly, how would I know?), replacing it with rousing few-against-many situations where our heroes mostly persevere, as long as there is a heavy dose of melodrama and tragedy.
Evpaty is a soldier, a trainer of soldiers, who suffers from night terrors so severe, he has to be tied down. He awakens every morning with his memory mostly wiped, his loving wife calming him and explaining to him all that has happened since his traumatic injury many years ago, until it all comes back. So, tragic warrior, lovely wife & family, skilled with connections to the Prince and the love of his fellow warriors.
I wish more of the story stuck with me, but the lopsided melodrama and constant slow-mo action overshadowed the story they wanted to tell. To be honest, I liked Evpaty, but you couldn't help but know things were going to go badly for him, despite his role as the everyman who rises above his station to save his people. You see, that's the thing -- he never actually saves his people. The Mongols invade, and like the battle of Stalingrad, the Russians lose, are decimated and our hero still has to gather those left to fend off the overwhelming forces from the east.
The movie is lovely looking, the CGI decent and the set dressing engaging. There is something about the Russian medieval architecture, all wood and peaks, that I love, that fits well into my D&D world-building mind. The problem is that despite their desire to make memorable supporting characters, everyone is just another bearded grim warrior that I could tell from the next. In the end, it was a nice romp but nothing I will ever think about again.
Meanwhile, the very very low budget indie flick Dwarves of Demrel or as it is called on Amazon, Dragon Mountain, was actually rather engaging despite being very very rough around the edges. For one, the repackaging as having something to do with a Dragon is very disingenuous, as it is absolutely nothing to do with any dragons, literally nothing but a CGI one flying overhead like so many of the indie fantasy movies found on Amazon bank on. Dragons sell? Not really, but I guess?
But for me, dwarves sell. The three men playing the dwarven miners trapped underground after a mine explosion and collapse were as convincing as anything CGI-ed by Peter Jackson and crew. They just look the part, with darkness and shadows and bulky clothes helping. The actors just dive into the roles and sell it.
The story is just that, three dwarves trying to survive a cave in, and find a way out. Along the way we find out about the political troubles going on, where humans have come in where dwarves are doing badly, taken over and run the mines like overseers, badly and with little concern for safety, thus the predicament the trio find themselves in. Through conversation and a little action, we learn the hearts of these men.
The problem was that was it. Nothing else but the talking. A good short story, but not enough to make a full novel from, and therefore not enough to make a full movie. There is some danger, and some conspiracy, and intrigue, but not enough to keep me from getting bored. And this is from me, a guy who loves dwarves! Ever since The Hobbit I have been a dwarf man, the first race I go to when I have to start a new character with a new group -- not that that has happened in a long long while. But I got enough out of the movie to watch to the end, and somewhat enjoy it. I am interested to see if they do another, maybe more about the other races.
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