Synopsis: The adventures of necromancer Marek and her band as they battle to save the world from darkness.
Director: Anne K Black (first two movies) then A Todd Smith (Necromancer), and John Lyde (Iron Crown and Godslayer)
Starring: Melanie Stone, Jake Stormoen, Adam Johnson and Nicola Posener
Review: I said at the beginning of ‘Women in Horror Month‘ that I was going to include science fiction and fantasy because, well it’s my daily challenge and I love all genre movies, books etc. Plus I find that many horror movies including elements of fantasy or science fiction.
One of the things I love about the assorted streaming services is you have access to loads of different movies and TV shows, many independently made which wouldn’t necessarily have wide exposure. There’s a downside in that there is a lot of tripe on there, but as you’ll know if you read my over-excited review of ‘Ink‘ I love discovering a good, independently made movie.
The Mythica series was funded through a Kickstarter fund, which is very impressive. It follows a standard ‘D&D’ idea where a group comprising of a Wizard, Thief, Healer and Warrior must go on a quest, in this instance to collect the shards of ‘Darkspore’ to avoid the end of the world. I’m not going to lie, there’s little originality in the idea and the inspirations behind it, including Lord of the Rings, are obvious.
Don’t let that it’s an independent movie, D&D movie put you off. Whilst the concept may not be unique, the production is. Given this is a Kickstarter project, the passion the team has is obvious, from the costumes to the score, it’s made with care. As seen with other franchises who have changed director after the first movie, the series is a little uneven and turns strangely steampunk under Lyde’s guidance whilst Smith was a little lighter in tone. However, we’re discussing female directors and in this respect, Black proves competent and with a good eye for making the most of a restrained budget in the first two films. Having viewed the full series, I’d say the first two movies are my favourite, both for the story and direction. Black knows when to go for a tight shot and when to showcase the scenery. The editing is good and I liked the music. There are obvious budget constraints which mean some of the CGI isn’t great but it’s not used to excess, and I did prefer the use of costumes and prosthetics but that is a personal preference and didn’t diminish my enjoyment.
That’s not to say it’s a perfect set of movies. Other reviewers have commented on the uneven acting and certainly, some are weaker than others. As I mentioned above, the different directors bring their own styles, some of which aren’t my personal favourites but that didn’t make the films unwatchable for me. I also found some of the story-telling a little muddled, specifically the relationship between Merek and Teela which didn’t ring true for me. I disliked the distrust and enmity that they held for each other which was never fully explained.
I didn’t fall instantly in love as I did with ‘Ink’, but I enjoyed the premise and I will return to the world of Mythica to give it a rewatch.
The movies are: Mythica: A Quest for Heroes, Mythica: The Darkspore, Mythica: The Necromancer, Mythica: The Iron Crown and finally Mythica: The Godslayer, an extraordinary feat in two years. You can find out more on the Mythica Website.
Bit of fan-girl trivia, keep an eye out for ‘Hodor’ from Game of Thrones in the last movie. Oh, and Kevin Sorbo from, well, just look at his IMDB profile and you’ll see at least one of your favourite shows that he’s been in.
