Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."The Dead Lands" (2014) tries to mix some genres, ideas, visual scenes it fells short very quickly in creating a simply involving movie. The story here isn't bad, but it is so uninvolvingly made that i finished watching this movie in like a week - seriously. I just didn't care AT ALL about two main characters, i didn't connect to them and i couldn't care less about the outcome. I liked the landscapes although, nature is very beautiful in here, but sadly that is the only positive thing i can say about "The Dead Lands". Overall, "The Dead Lands" isn't a terrible movie, it isn't a very bad one either, it's just that i tries mix some genres, but fails to create a simply involving movie. The story is very simple, but that isn't a problem. Problem is that couldn't care less for this story - editing, directing and especially script are very poor. Acting was OK just by the guy who played this "flesh eater" - everyone else were very quickly forgettable. There are plenty more better movies in the market, you can skip "The Dead Lands".

kosmasp Sometimes "last of ..." is not that accurate, especially if you have two who can be called that. For different reasons of course. And while the main story is pretty straight forward (and you can see where it's going) there are some gems here and there. The action scenes are pretty well executed. My Maori is not up to the task, but the acting seems more than decent too.Talking about tasks, the question is is our main hero up to it? Being put in a situation, no one wants to be in, but sometimes you are forced to be in, is more than difficult. On the other hand, you have his mentor, who has some issues of his own. The dynamic works well, though you have to be open minded with what it means to be them or live in that sort of environment - if you can't get down with that, it can be dreadful to watch

A_Different_Drummer I am tempted to call this the "original" martial arts film, the template from which all the others followed.My reasoning? Everything about this wonderful film, the language, the scenery, the actors, the story, the fighting style, -- they bespeak a culture far older than anything in China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, or wherever your favourite fight flicks come from.Something old. Something that speaks directly to your DNA. Something visceral.Running at almost 2 full hours -- which would be a challenge even for JJ Abrams -- there were hardly any lulls.The story was iconic, and mesmerizing.And unpredictable, which is the hallmark of a really good story.Near the end, just when you think you know what is coming, the "odd couple" revenge duo (see the other reviews for backstory) encounter what appears to be a beautiful maiden who ventured into the Deadlands innocently just to capture some birds, because they were scarce in her area.Within a matter of moments -- no one is more surprised than the audience! -- the older man (the young boys Sifu, to continue the metaphor) is fighting this mere wisp of a girl. And the girl almost manages to outfight the man, the very same giant of a man who a few scenes earlier had chewed through a group of young warriors like Jackie Chan in a back alley.Extraordinary and one of a kind.

euroGary Seen at the 2014 London Film Festival, 'The Dead Lands' is pretty much your basic revenge flick, but as it is set in New Zealand before colonisation and is made entirely in the Māori language, it carries mucho filmsnob brownie points! Unimpressive young warrior prince Hongi is the scapegoat chosen by Wirepa, prince of an opposing tribe, to provide the excuse he needs to restart war between the two peoples. Wirepa subsequently leads his forces in a night-time attack against Hongi's tribe. As the sole male survivor, Hongi feels duty-bound (or should that be testosterone-bound?) to avenge his dead kinsmen and sets off after Wirepa's forces, who are beating a retreat through the quasi-mystical 'Dead Lands', an area that is home to a feared warrior who is also the last surviving member of his tribe.Like many basic revenge flicks, this film has plot holes a-plenty: for instance, Hongi's metamorphosis from hopeless fighter to someone able to defeat several fighters at once is rather sudden; and from where did that well-made hut in which he nurses the injured warrior back to health suddenly appear - it wasn't there before the big fight! All the pre-battle tongue-waggling proved difficult for this white European reviewer to take seriously, although obviously it is of great cultural significance to Māoris themselves (not to mention the All Blacks rugby team). Budget constraints may have meant the producers couldn't hire many actors; Hongi's entire tribe seems to number no more than six or seven people. For much of the film Wirepa is seen with even fewer soldiers on his side, until one shot suddenly shows about twenty of them - up until then Hongi and the warrior's quest didn't seem as hopeless (or unbelievable) as it actually is. But there is a certain comfort in watching a film that reliably goes from A to B; and the battle scenes are balletically-staged (although I could have done with fewer of them being shot in the dark).As for the acting, barring once or twice where he sticks out his tongue, James Rolleston as Hongi spends most of the film peering sulkily from between the curtains of his carefully-arranged hair like a boybander shooting the video of his next hit single. The well-muscled, statuesque Te Kohe Tuhaka makes a cruel - if at times camp - villain as Wirepa. Top acting honours go to Lawrence Makoare as the warrior - he's got the looks and build that suggest he usually plays brainless heavies (he's been in the 'Lord of the Rings' films but I haven't seen those), but in this he nicely conveys the warrior's rage, bewilderment and redemption, using humour when required but crucially knowing when to rein it back in.Also worth a mention is the music - whoever is responsible (I can't find his name on the official site or IMDb) has avoided the trap of thinking "Maori film so it's got to be tribal music" and instead gone for a varied score with elements of classical and electronic that is most pleasing - the last time I really noticed a film's music was 'The End of the Affair', so it says something that I noticed it here! But the biggest attraction of all is perhaps the New Zealand scenery, with every tree, bush and blade of grass vying for attention.