Travis Simpkins

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Attila (2013): Low Budget Looting

Co-written and directed by Emmanuel Itier, Attila (2013) combines many cliched elements from much better films into a lackluster recipe that doesn't really work. In the story, American soldiers are sent on an anonymous mission and inadvertently steal the final part of Attila the Hun's "Staff of Moses" (the military already has the other two pieces), a powerful ancient artifact with immense atomic capabilities. This act of looting awakens Attila's barbarian guardian, and the mummy wreaks bloody havoc on everyone nearby. The concept is fine, however… bad writing, bad acting, shaky camerawork and cheap effects all-around make little use of it's low budget. Although, on the bright side, the ancient prologue scenes do offer some interesting aesthetic appeal. UFC fighter Cheick Kongo appears (masked) in a lead role.

"Attila"- movie trailer

Ragnarok (2013): Archaeology and Norse Legend

Ragnarok. 2013. Archaeology. Norse Mythology

Directed by Mikkel Braenne, and written by John Kare Raake, Gaten Ragnarok (2013) weaves a legendary snake creature from Norse mythology as the terrifying cause of the Viking apocalypse. The story centers on a Norwegian archaeologist, who comes upon a stone map that leads him and his team (including his two children) to Finnmark, and a northern "no man's land" that was the sight of a cataclysmic attack that wiped out a Viking expedition in ancient times. The special effects are lacking, but the subtitled plot maintains it's interest. The cast is good, including Pal Sverre Valheim Hagen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Bjorn Sundquist and Sofia Helin.