Cheapo DVD Review: Mythica - A Quest For Heroes (2015)

Before I get into what I thought of this DVD, let's start by answering the obvious questions.

1. Does the DVD cover bear any resemblance to the contents?

Not really. Heroine Marek never picks up a sword, her outfit is less low-cut than it is here, there's no dragon whatsoever and I have no idea who those two guys behind her are.
It turns out there's a reason for that - more later.

2. Does the DVD blurb bear any resemblance to the actual story.  

" Mythica follows the enchnting adventures of Marek, a wizard born with the dark powers of necromancy trapped in a life of eternal servitude. with the help of beautiful priestess Teela, Marek escapes her master and assembl;es a team of adventurers to embark on am epic quest to rescue Teela's sister from a vicious Ogre  

 Marek's powers are put to the test as she learns to harness the magic that threatens to corrupt her. Featuring a formidable heroine, a band of brutish brothers, and a startling fantasy world, Mythica depicts the spellbinding tale of Marek's fight for freedom" 

So I am confident that whoever wrote the blurb has seen this particular movie. Most of it anyway.  There's a few things I can quibble with -
Marek isn't a wizard trapped in servitude - She's a slave girl with some magical powers.
Teela doesn't help her escape, she manages that on her own.
"Brutish Brothers" Where? I never saw any.

3. Are there any crap CGI monsters in it? 

There's a  CGI Ogre but that's done fairly well for a low-budget Fantasy.  

4. Any women in chain-mail bikinis?

No.

5. Any busty wenches.

Not that I could see. Can I get on and do the review now?

6. What about sorceress in those slinky, low cut dresses? Any of those?Or sexy elves.

Shut up and go away.

7. Hey, you know that scene in "Your Highness" where Natalie Portman strips...

Right! That's it! You're only a figment of my imagination which means I can do this

8. What are you doing ..Why is... . Argh! Polar Bears are eating my face!

Now let's get on with this bloody review, shall we? 

  Mythica treads ground that will seem very familiar to any fans of tabletop RPGs In fact, if you've ever read any of those "Forgotten Realms"  books then you may find yourself wondering if this whole film was based on somebody's campaign. 

 After getting unceremoniously chucked out of an adventurers tavern, Marek gathers her own team of misfits - a Cleric/Priestess, a Warrior and a Thief, with herself being the all-important Magic User. 

(You know. I was half expecting an Elf or a Kender to show up for the fun.)

The team set off in search of Teela's sister, MIA after an Orc attack on her temple, bicker a bit, bond a bit, fight some beasties and finally wind up in a showdown with a big, bad Ogre. All very Dungeons and Dragons, in fact. 

Here lies one of the major gripes I have with this movie. Without wanting to go into potential spoilers, if this was a book the cover would have something like "Part 1 of the Marek Trilogy" on it to warn you that "Mythic" is the opening act in a series, rather than a stand alone adventure. 

So a number of plot threads are introduced and then skipped over, which is a bit maddening. Where does Marek get her magical powers from?  Why were the Orcs raiding that particular temple anyway and what's the artefact that Teela and her sister think is so important?  Answer came there none.

The reason why may be found in something I stumbled across while looking up details.

As it turns out, "Mythica: A Quest for Heroes"  is indeed Part One. Part Two "The Darkspore" premiered recently.

 It also explains the DVD cover. Whoever slapped it together used a promo shot from Movie 2.  Which isn't confusing at all, is it? 

So far I've spent a lot of time picking holes but actually you know what?

"Mythica" isn't bad. 

 Yes, it's low-budget and a bit cliched but the acting is pretty decent, the direction and whatnot was more than competent, the characters are people I could root for and I found myself wanting to see Mythica 2 just to see where Marek and her gang end up next.

   In the short time I was following the team I felt like I'd got to know them and I liked what I was seeing.

How much did I pay for this: £5

Was it worth it: I quite liked "Mythica" aforementioned gripes notwithstanding but it may be better to wait until some kind of two-pack deal comes out. That way you can get the whole story in one session. 

 If you like low-budget fantasy that isn't too cheesy, you might like this. 

This was produced by ArrowStorm entertainment  and looking at their website, I  can see that they've done several low-budget fantasies that I rather enjoyed. (Orc Wars, Shadow Cabal & The Crown And The Dragon) so  I'll have to keep an eye out for their logo in future.

http://arrowstormentertainment.com/

Here's the trailer. 

Yes, that is Kevin Sorbo. He isn't in it for very long.

That's all folks.