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Full Version: "Knights of Bloodsteel" fka "Dragons of Black Roc" fka "Mirabilis" aka The Halmi's Strike Again!

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ScribblerGuy

Feb 1, 2009 @ 2:08 pm

Sci Fi Press Release (July 2008) [links go to IMDb]:

SCI FI Channel has greenlit Mirabilis, (working title) a 4-hour fantasy adventure miniseries where heroes battle the forces of darkness set against a backdrop of knights, sorcerers and dragons. Set to star in the movie are David James Elliott (JAG) as protagonist John Serrogoth and Natassia Malthe (Elektra) as Perfidia.

Mirabilis will be produced by Reunion Pictures (Lisa Richardson, Matthew O'Connor, Tom Rowe) with RHI Entertainment, (Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr.) and Industry Entertainment (Keith Addis and Andrew Deane) are also attached to the project. Emmy-nominated Sam Egan (Sanctuary, Jeremiah, The Outer Limits) wrote the script. RHI Entertainment will distribute the project internationally.

Once a paradise fueled by the all-powerful sorcery-grade metal known as bloodsteel, the distant land of Mirabilis begins to decay as supplies of the supernatural substance dwindle. The evil warlord Dragon Eye fights to gain control of the world's supply of bloodsteel, which he will use to rule Mirabilis. But, an ancient prophecy propels four ordinary citizens to battle Dragon Eye. Their quest is to find the fabled Crucible - source of all bloodsteel - before the corrupt forces of darkness destroy their world.

Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Taxi, etc.) also stars. In Canada this will air on Movie Central & The Movie Network:

Associate producer Michael Shepard of Thunderbird Films adds "Dragons of Black Roc" is going to be a huge Canadian television event and it is a perfect fit for Movie Central."

Regarding an air date, If I had to guess, Sci Fi may hold this until December. Though, a summer premiere might be possible.

An early, official trailer (100+ MB) is available on the Thunderbird Films website (thunderbird.net). It's also up on YouTube, for those of us without super-fast connections. The actual trailer doesn't start until the 20-25 second mark.

I'm not a fan of fantasy-myth stories, especially when they look to be very paint-by-the-numbers but it does appear that the male and female characters, here, are equals (well, at least until the final act, when the female will likely develop damselitis and has to be rescued).

Miscellaneous snarky points:

David James Elliott as a fantasy hero, really? Was Adrian Paul unavailable?
What's up with the random shot of the shaman? The only black person in the trailer is playing a primitive tribal medicine man? It's frakking 2009! (Tin Man wasn't much better, but I do remember one semi-important character was played by an African-American actor.)
The pointy-eared humanoid creature looks so much like the flappy-skin demon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the one who played cards with Spike at Buffy's house).
Which leads into the fact that "Dragon Eye" reminds me of The Master from Buffy, which leads to me seeing that kid as The Annointed One.
Does that make Natassia Malthe's character an early slayer? And, could that explain why the shaman is there?
The place is called Mirabilis? They couldn't have gone with a simpler name, say "Mirabella?" You know, something that the actors can actually pronounce.

Also, if "bloodsteel" is an allusion to oil and the "crucible" is an allusion to a cheap form of alternative energy, does this mean that the mini-series has pro environmental, anti big business themes?

Finally, should we really be rooting against Dragon Eye? I mean, all he wants is what any parent wants, a better world for his kid to grow up in. Just because the pale-skinned humans have a hegemony over other creatures doesn't make their cause right. Plus, this prophecy thing sounds like an excuse to start a holy war. And, those things never end well.

ScribblerGuy

Feb 17, 2009 @ 12:34 am

And, we have a premiere date:

Sci Fi has booked "Knights of Bloodsteel," its latest mini-series event, for Sunday, April 19 and Monday, April 20 at 9:00/8:00c, network sources have confirmed to the site.

The four-hour project, previously known as both "Mirabilis" and "Dragons of Black Roc," stars David James Elliott, Natassia Malthe and Christopher Lloyd. It marks the cable channel's first mini-series since 2007's Emmy-winning "Tin Man."

(from thefutoncritic.com)

ScribblerGuy

Apr 16, 2009 @ 11:27 am

[Reminder: The first part premieres this Sunday (4/19) @ 9pm Eastern.]

Here's a few reviews. Everyone loves this. Not.

From Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune:

If nothing else, the cheerfully goofy “Kröd” makes it impossible to watch dreck like “Knights of Bloodsteel,” a Sci Fi miniseries that premieres April 19, without giggling continuously. "Bloodsteel” is the kind of sludgy, jaw-droppingly terrible fantasy fare that’s only good for two things: Giving “Kröd” more comedic fodder, and giving genre fans reasons to invent drinking games based on how many times wizards chant incantations or speak in riddles.

Brian Lowery of Variety is equally kind:

Elves, goblins and humans jointly occupy the world of "Knights of Bloodsteel," another sloppily constructed two-part fantasy that's closer to "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" than "The Lord of the Rings." The first portion is so muddled that I actually had to double-check to make sure I hadn't popped in the second DVD by mistake...

RHI Entertainment always lands somebody with marquee value to spice up these stews, and here it's Christopher Lloyd as the sorcerer elf Tesselink, looking like he yearns to go back to the future -- or any other time that has a functioning plot and less-ludicrous dialogue.

And the best headline: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Not-So-Good Knights of Bloodsteel (from TVTango.com):

Tragically for SyFy's hip new audience, "Knights" is basic fantasy cliché and has problems right from the start. It takes place in some vague past time within a general Celtic-like region that looks like Lord of the Rings meets Xena meets the local Renaissance faire. But somehow, Dragon Eye's dark lair is equipped with a mobile video uplink that keeps him up to date on the search for bloodsteel (and dare I say, the latest Idol elimination). ...

But you may find yourself wishing that bloodsteel produced enough power for Lloyd to fire up the DeLorean and give you those four hours back.

From the National Ledger:

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: David James Elliott expects to be spending the next three weeks enjoying "what I like to think of as a well-deserved vacation" in the Bahamas -- where the actor had barely landed when he got the call for the Sci Fi Channel's April 19 and 20 "Knights of Bloodsteel" event miniseries. "They said if I wanted to do it, I had to come back immediately. I knew it would be a great opportunity to do something completely different."

Perhaps DJE should have stayed in the Bahamas?

Madelonia

Apr 16, 2009 @ 6:13 pm

Adding my own review:

"Knights Of Bloodsteel" Is Pretty Funny. Unfortunately It's Not A Comedy.

There is one almost-touching moment in the four-hour-long miniseries Knights Of Bloodsteel, coming this Sunday and Monday nights on the Sci-Fi Channel:

On the cusp of battle, Ber-lak (a goblin sort-of super-hero, and one of the show’s more interesting, underutilized characters) is philosophizing with an old blind monk. He wonders whether “bloodsteel” (a precious metal that fuels everything, from machines to magic) is really worth all the death and destruction. The bloodsteel is running out, you see, and the entire land of Mirabilis is eager to go to war over control of its source. For a second it’s almost like we’re watching a parable, a relevant social commentary about our own addiction to non-renewable resources.

Alas, then the star of the miniseries, JAG’s David James Elliott, stomps up to yell at us, in about three different accents at once, that the fight scene’s about to start.

And the moment’s over, and I have to remind myself, yet again, that this is not the sort of show that one should take too seriously. Unfortunately, everyone actually involved in the making of Knights seems to think that it’s serious epic fantasy.

(read more at TheTorchOnline.com)

ScribblerGuy wrote:

Perhaps DJE should have stayed in the Bahamas?

Yes. Very much yes.

ScribblerGuy

Apr 17, 2009 @ 8:09 pm

From the LA Times: In a fantasy world, 'Knights of Bloodsteel' would be good

But in reality, this Sci Fi movie is bad, bad, bad, from the script to the directing to the acting.

That's just the tagline for the article!

Sam Egan's script is trite and sophomoric, the acting beyond dismal -- David James Elliott, late of "JAG," plays John Serragoth but insists on employing an accent that moves from Irish to Welsh to Brooklyn, often within the same sentence -- and so many visuals are lifted from "Lord of the Rings" that director Philip Spink should be ashamed of himself.

And, here's an actual positive review, from the "Yonkers Tribune" (doesn't appear to be an actual paper, just a local news blog):

This Sunday and Monday will feature Knights of Bloodsteel, on the SciFi channel. It’s worth the time to watch and enjoy, as there are interesting characters, great computer generated graphics, an intriguing story and terrific acting. So, at the end of the day when you want to kick back, put your feet up and turn on the TV, the SciFi channel delivers!

redshirtx

Apr 20, 2009 @ 12:05 pm

I caught part of this last night. I was actually fine with Christopher Lloyd as an elvish (I think) mage or whatever the hell he was, but the combination of an unshaven David James Elliott wielding a longsword and a bad accent and a bad guy who looked like either a Jem'Hadar or a Ko-Dan (greetings, Starfighter!) depending on the camera angle...wow.

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