The dragon fantasy movie, Knights of the Damned, directed by Simon Wells (Carnivore: Werewolf of London 2017, Untrust short 2011), will be released on DVD via Lionsgate on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. This cinematic piece can be accurately described as dragon slayer meets zombie apocalypse. The story unfurls with a pesky dragoness that is tyrannizing the entire kingdom, and has solitarily dwindled the number of surviving knights assigned to take it down to a mere four count. If the idea of dragons and zombies together in a movie intrigues you and gets your heart racing, then this is the film for you!
Let it be known that these are not just any knights: they are the best of the best handpicked by the king himself for this daunting mission. This chivalrous quartet are hellbent on taking down this fiendish, fire-breathing dragoness with swords unsheathed and aimed heavenward, shields raised at the ready. By the end of this battle along craggy cliffs, the knight count is now down to three.
This hair-raising story unveils itself to reveal an obsidian darkness that threatens to consume the kingdom at large. Unbeknownst to the surviving three knights, a black magic ritual is performed that revives their recently dead comrade and transforms him into one badass, teeth-gnashing Fury – a zombie-like creature with a single-minded obsession, to slake its insatiable appetite for human flesh.
Needless to say, swords and arrows are the only tools available in these medieval times to kill these human abominations, and yet these vile minions grow in both number and strength each passing day; they litter the countryside, wandering along aimlessly dragging themselves in a range of gravity-defying, jerky gaits.
These knights with nerves of steel are white-hot on the dragon’s trail: they are Richard (Ross O’Hennessy: Game of Thrones series, The Bastard Executioner 2015); George (Ben Loyd-Holmes: Skyfall 2012, Extinction 2014); and Thomas, played by Silvio Simac (DOA: Dead or Alive 2006, Transporter 3 2008). Along the way they nearly succumb to the spellbind of malevolent mermaids. Though, as luck would have it, a well-aimed volley of arrows by a hidden archer broke the fascination hold and sent those mermaids straight to a watery grave, giving our trio of valiant knights the chance to fight another day.
Onward they went on their dragon quest and made a pit stop at a local inn to eat and get some rest, though it was clearly evident that they were not welcome by many of the patrons of the establishment. However, they met up with a lively group of Amazon-like warrior women and had a blast of a night drinking and carousing until a brawl broke out. Word was out in the village about the Fury, and the tale of these walking dead piqued the knights interest. That very night one of them had an up-close and personal experience with a Fury, receiving a festering bitemark as a parting gift.
The next day they walked through the village on their way to the castle and entered a village that seemingly was a ghost town; actually, it was infested with Furies hellbent on having them for a snack. United as one, the knights made a getaway by slicing and dicing Furies galore in their haste to reach the castle doors. Who should have their backs but their friends from the inn, the warrior women, and an unspoken alliance is formed at that moment. Just in time, in fact, as the princess of the kingdom soon declares, “There is a war coming!”
Since we have been spoiled by the hi-def special effects of AMC’s The Walking Dead series, the Furies throughout Knights of the Damned do not give quite the same visual impact. However, we do get to see how resourceful these warrior women and knights exhibit in the fight to stay alive, and together they prevail against the darkness. Furthermore, the rushing water scenes at the beginning of the movie were breathtaking and gave an overall sense of excitement.
Unfortunately, the ending was laid out as a cliffhanger and viewers are expected to understand, in no uncertain terms, that a sequel will follow. So, roll up your sleeves ’cause there is more work to be done in the castle keep! This is why CrypticRock gives Knights of the Damned 4 out of 5 stars.
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If you haven’t seen the Knights of the Damned, then my advice is save yourself the experience. This movie is right up there with Killer Tomatoes. It is a woefully story – woefully acted – woefully directed and woefully produced. The Knights of the Damned is likely to go down in history as one of the worst movies ever made!
Yep I agree. Seen it. my only word is “Blah”.