Knights of Bloodsteel [DVD] [2009] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

not at all bad,this from the start is obviously a tv duel episode production,probably made for one of the network channels,but having bought it i have to say it was an enjoyable film,the characters were all well rounded and likeable,and the story was a reasonable spun yarn,able to keep you entertained ,and no doubt with enough hideous and monstrous bad guys for the kids to enjoy as well,my dad watched this and did say that thay could have squeezed the entire story into 30 minuets,but he doesnt enjoy theses fanatsy type films like me,so if you like lord of the rings and dungeons and dragons,then this one is for your collection.

I should never have bought this in the first place. The cover is the best part of the film. After pushing 'start' it progressively gets worse. Too small cast playing a big war in a very inconvincible way. A 'C movie' by my standard. I do NOT understand the reviewers comparing this to Lord of the Rings which is in a complete other league!

The Syfy (or "genre syphilis") channel is like the girl with a curl on her forehead -- sometimes it's really really good, and sometimes it's horrid.

"Knights of Bloodsteel" is.... neither. While hardly a shining example of the fantasy genre, this fantasy miniseries isn't a SyFy weekend movie either. It's mostly all about good ideas that aren't fully developed and potential that is squandered -- not to mention acting that ranges from decent to mind-meltingly bad.

In the kingdom of Mirablis, a magical element called bloodsteel is considered essential, both to the vampire-elf/gobin/human alliance and to the villain Dragoneye. What is bloodsteel? Nobody knows! It's basically Applied Phlebotinum that does whatever the characters want. Anyway, bloodsteel is becoming rare, and the only way to get more is to find the Crucible from which it all comes.

An oracle predicts that four knights will arise to search for the crucible and save Mirablis from Dragoneye. And after a clash with Dragoneye's minions, the knights are revealed -- a cynical human drifter (David James Elliott), a reluctant goblin "vessel" (Dru Viergever), a roguish conman (Christopher Jacot), and a conflicted elf sorceress (Natassia Malthe). So they set out on a dangerous quest to get the Crucible.

I'll say this outright -- "Knights of Bloodsteel" is much better than most of Sci-Fi's usual original productions. It has an intriguing high fantasy world where elves, humans and goblins live in peace together, there's a genuine effort at fleshing out the characters (including the villain), the special effects are cheesy but not horrible, and the scenery is lovely.

Unfortunately, the execution is not so great. The main story is standard "Lord of the Rings"-style fantasy quest, but it's choked by half a dozen subplots that don't really add anything to the plot. What's the point of the deadly robot hand? Or the treacherous sorcerer? Or that annoying blonde chick? It feels like there's a lot going on here, but it all dissolves into a big confusing muddle.

Plus, there are a lot of things that just don't make sense -- for instance, a main character's sister dies tragically... and one scene later, he's in bed with a camp whore. And apparently you can heal a gaping hole in your midsection with.... "willpower." That's almost as lame as the power of friendship.

The acting is a mixed bag. Elliott is pretty solid as a scarred loner (although his Scottish accent slides all over the place), and Viergever gives a strong performance as a goblin haunted by his destiny. But Jacot is basically a 2-D "roguish thief" character, and watching Malthe try to act angry or heartbroken is just painful. She looks like she stepped on a tack.

And... Christopher Lloyd? What is he doing in a movie like this? I can only assume that since his house was destroyed in 2008, he needed the quick cash that playing a vampire-elf provided.

"Knights of Bloodsteel" isn't HORRIBLE, but it's certainly not good -- overloaded with subplots and a really bad lead actress. But if you turn off your brain, it's mildly amusing.