Lack of good storyline.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

This is a long epic tale that takes place in New Zealand before there were settlers. Two warring tribes come together for peace, only for one tribe to do the genocide thing on the other. The King's son manages to escape and vows revenge. As the victors return home, the son follows them through the cursed "Dead Lands" filled with witches and a huge cannibal warrior.The film was extremely interesting for the first 50 minutes. I thought it should have been shorter. The film is told with subscripts. Lawrence Makoare who played Lurtz in LOTR, plays the warrior. The end has a slight twist.No swearing, sex, or nudity

Please note Mild Plot Spoilers* Set in pre colonial times we are taken back to a time when Maoris ruled New Zealand. Two tribes have had an ancient rivalry that has been put to rest but a young war chief – Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka) wants to gain glory in battle by reigniting the enmity. He attacks the other village and the Chief's son is one of the few survivors. This is Hongi (James Rolleston) and he goes after them – hell bent on revenge.Only they decide to travel through the 'Dead Lands' where it is known that a warrior spirit lurks and will kill and eat any who trespass – but they decide to tempt the spirits anyhow.Now what follows is a pretty full on action packed ride, with a lot of martial arts fighting and blood splatter carryings on. The landscape is show cased here too in some beautifully realised shots and the music is all done very well – with a mix of genres to reflect the on screen action. There are a couple of plot holes or stretches of the imagination, but they are minor and will only detract from your enjoyment if you let them. The acting is all pretty solid, but Lawrence Makoare as the 'Warrior' carries the role excellently with vim, pathos, cynicism and pure stage presence.This is also filmed entirely in Maori with sub titles and was sponsored by the New Zealand Film Board and runs to around 100 minutes. If you like an action film with good old fashioned warriors but some modern fighting thrown in then I can seriously recommend this one.

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.

Finally we have the Maori action movie we have all been begging for! If you have ever seen the Haka performed by the All Blacks, and wondered what these guys would do to their enemies without the limitations of Rugby rules, then all your questions will be answered. The plot is a Kung Fu style revenge tale. A young chief's son vows revenge for some tribal treachery, and hooks up with a mystical, wiser warrior, to take out a small army of baddies. Action movie aficionados will be pleased to see some authentic Maori weapons and fighting choreography, instead of the typical blade weapons and the Asian martial arts we see in countless movies these days. The acting is fascinating because you are basically watching actors represent their own culture from an earlier era, unlike let's say, having a Scottish man portray an ancient Greek warrior in a film. The authentic locations add to the overall realistic effect as well. I'm sure there are artistic liberties taken with the historical accuracy, but nothing as crazy as the 300 franchise. The directing is a bit frantic, with quick cuts and lots of camera movements during fight scenes, but that seems to be the visual style for action movies these days. Overall, this film is a fascinating look at a culture that is completely exotic to the rest of the world because of vast geographical distance and centuries of colonial influence.