Germany | Canada | USA 2025
Opening March 6, 2025
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writing credits: Constantin Werner, Paul W.S. Anderson, George R. R. Martin
Principal actors: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, Arly Jover, Amara Okereke, Fraser James
English director Paul W.S. Anderson’s epical sci-fi fantasy adventure film’s co-written story, with German Constantin Werner, and Werner’s screenplay is co-opted from George R. R. Martin’s 2013 eponymous short story. Martin, predominantly Irish, is a natural born storyteller who as a child wrote/sold his monster stories then moved to comics before evolving into science fiction writing. Adaptations of his epic fantasy novels (A Song of Ice and Fire) brought to television the series Game of Thrones (2011-2019), plus House of the Dragon (2022–present). Anti-heroes, mysterious characters with ethical ambiguousness, grimdark fantasy—a speculative novel subgenre—credible plots, ambivalent personalities, and depth in storylines grounded in history and reasonableness are Martin’s trademarks.
Against a fantastically dark, grime-laden dystopic setting characters emerge: the sorceress Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) who by not dying is symbolical for the populace, a nuisance for Patriarch Johan (Fraser James), and a means to an end for the Queen (Amara Okereke); with the Overlord (Jacek Dzisiewicz) ailing, the Queen and Patriarch are in a power struggle. Ash (Arly Jove), leading a cadre of brutish soldiers, wrathfully concentrates on the witch. Lamentably, the enigmatic Alys refuses no one, only imparts genteel warnings, i.e., be careful of what you wish for. Jerais (Simon Lööf), the Queen’s guard, procures a counter-request from the Queen’s shapeshifter appeal to Alys. Most in the Lost Lands are lost: The Gambler (Pawel Wysocki), The Stranger (Ian Hanmore), and The Hammer (Tue Lunding). Some persevere, e.g., Ross (Sebastian Stankiewicz) and Mara (Deirdre Mullins) at the Trading Post. The sorceress cannot fulfill the requests without journeying into the Lost Lands. She sagaciously hires the mysterious Hunter (Dave Bautista) as guide; Boyce’s qualifiable familiarity with the dangerous, decadent Lost Lands far outside the city’s boundaries is keen.
The cast commendably portray Martin’s trademark characteristics that are infused in their flawed characters—complex, imperfect, antihero types, sometimes likeable. Glen MacPherson’s camerawork diversity and deliberate framing set up viewpoints and broader perception for audiences; editor Niven Howie’s acuity initiates shifts adjusting tempo, shots, timing, effects, including tracking the full moon and a full-screen map while keeping everything in sync. Paul Haslinger’s alluring score portends watchful vigilance. With the wishes dispensed with and death, destruction dealt there is still a remaining two-fold wish that creeps into the Lost Lands’ lifeline. Watch for it. The final twist to a fantasy’s end-all tangles. 101 minutes (Marinell H.)