CW: There’s gonna be a lot of blood (in the movie, not the post). But unless you’re new here, you’re probably sort of expecting that.
With Shudder’s upcoming tv series, The Dead Lands coming up on us really quickly (January 23), I want to take a moment to talk about the film that inspired the series.
First, here’s the trailer for the series, if you haven’t seen it:
Looks really cool, right? Well, I think so anyway. I’m psyched for this.
Here’s the official synopsis: Waka, a murdered Māori warrior returned from the Afterlife, and Mehe, a determined young woman, embark on a quest to find who “broke the world” and how to close the breach between the living and the dead. AMC Networks’ Shudder and TVNZ present THE DEAD LANDS, an epic supernatural fantasy series set in mythical New Zealand. Starring Te Kohe Tuhaka and Darneen Christian. Series premiere Jan. 23 on Shudder / Jan. 24 on TVNZ.
So, in the spirit of hyping this series, let’s talk about it’s predecessor. Have you seen the movie?
Shawn and I picked this up from our local Dollar Tree (which once in a very great while has some great movies).
The Dead Lands did well regionally (in New Zealand and Australia) from what I can see, but box office totals were dismal abroad. I think that has more to do with the fact that it must not have hit more than a handful of theaters outside their region. It’s an absolute shame because it’s a really wonderful film, the crew was entirely comprised of NZ folks – and the Maori were played exclusively by Maori actors (I got this info from the featurettes on the disc – this Dollar Tree score came with quite a few special features).
The IMDB synopsis: After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, the teenage son of a slain Maori chieftain looks to avenge his father’s murder and bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones.
The dialogue is in Maori, which I’m sure also contributed to it’s poor performance overseas – because apparently a lot of people just flat out refuse to watch subtitled movies. I think that had they done the movie in anything other than the characters’ native language it would have cheapened the story significantly. There was no point during this movie that I was like, ‘oh, I wish I didn’t have to read subtitles.” You know why? Because it was so INTENSE. Almost from the very beginning the story pulls you in and takes off running.
Technically speaking, it’s also pretty wonderful. The costuming was stellar. It was done by Barbara Darragh whose name may seem familiar to you – she did the costuming for the 1988 fantasy classic Willow as well. She did such a phenomenal job here.
I mean, look at how great they look! And kudos to the Prop Master, that weapon looks fantastic! What kind of weapon is it, anyway? I thought maybe a Patu, but it doesn’t really look like the (limited) ones I’ve seen – if you’re local, or a weapons expert, or otherwise knowledgeable on the subject please let me know. I’m legit curious. Traditional Maori weapons are really neat and I would be very glad to learn more about them.
The cinematography is also really great – there are a lot of beautiful landscape shots, and the close in stuff is always well composed.
I mean, this screenshot I pulled from the internet absolutely doesn’t do it justice, but I promise you – it’s good. I mostly just selected the shot I did because although it is cut off a little abruptly, that shot in the movie is actually really stunning. Good job cinematographer Leon Narby!
Last, but certainly not least, I want to touch on the fight choreography. I watch a lot of action and kung fu movies, and because of that, I think I’ve developed a pretty keen sense of when a fight is well choreographed and when it’s not. The fights in The Dead Lands are pretty phenomenal.
This is the first movie (internationally at least) to feature focus heavily on Mau Rakau, a traditional Maori weapons-based martial art. And it is BEAUTIFUL to watch (I mean, in the way that anything so brutal can be beautiful). All the little touches are here – the vibrating of the weapon (which I have just learned is known as wiri), the Haka, and even the extensive use of stuck out tongues as a way to intimidate an enemy (again, I’m learning all of this from the internet, so if I’m wrong, please correct me).
I absolutely cannot find the name of the fight choreographer(s) online for some reason, but whoever did it – I salute you!
I know that Jamus Webster, who played Tahi in the film is a Mau Rakau expert, and was at least consulted by director Toa Fraser about the fighting, so maybe he also choreographed, but I just don’t know for certain.
Anyway, I feel like I got really lost in the weeds for a second there. I just want to make sure that I at least try to give credit where it is due.
If Shudder’s upcoming show has even half the heart behind it that the film did, I will be happy. I mean, hopefully it has just as much, but… we’ll see.
Rating: (MOVIE, obvi):
I loved the story, the filming, and the fact that it didn’t seem to compromise a damned thing for international audiences.
The Dead Lands Directed by: Toa Fraser Released October 30, 2014 (NZ) GFC/Fightertown, XYZ Films, The New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand Film Production Fund Trust, Te Mangai Paho Images & Sound, Lip Sync, Day Tripper Films Action, Drama Rated R 107 Minutes
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