Ultramarines: The Movie
I will be clear from the start: yes, I am a Warhammer 40,00 player. I also play Warhammer Fantasy. Therefore I know I will be accused of bias when I write this little piece on the film. Nevertheless, I shall try to be as neutral and unbiased as I can. The Ultramarines movie, for those who don't know, is a CGI film lasting 75 minutes based on Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 game, specifically based on one of the most iconographic and recognisable things about the game: the Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter. A single squad answer a distress call from a holy shrine and seek to investigate what happened. Pretty standard Sci-Fi fare, basically. Story: I've pretty much given the jist of the plot in the previous sentence. One thing I can applaud was the way the makers - Codex Pictures - set out from the start to make it as a film for 40K fans, therefore did not have to waste time and effort trying to explain many of the background concepts, and just stuck to the storyline and to the action. It was very slow in starting off, andf picked up about two-thirds of the way through, but I cannot help but feel it wasn't enough. Then again, it was only 75 minutes long, so I shouldn't feel too disappointed in this, should I? Effects: As mentioned it is a CGI film, which used facial capture technology to create realistic faces and movements. That was decent. The CGI itself was below-par compared to PIxar films, for example, but was still good: some of the lighting effects, weapons and armour details were very well done, and the skull helmet of Chaplain Carnak, reflecting firelight when you first meet him, was truly amazing - as well as scary, which is just what you want from a Space Marine Chaplain! Action: the film was very slow in starting, and the action only really comes in the last 1/3 of the film, with firefights and a battle in a chapel. I still feel it could have done better. Legacy: in itself, this film wont make waves and likely won't win awards - it's a straight-to-DVD production - but I do hope it will form a first stepping-stone to future productions that can expand on the 40K universe into film form. Other 40K films have been made in the past, but did poorly due to the limitations of film technology at the time and very small budgets. I hope that this will encourage others to do more. Conclusion: as I just said, in itself the Ultramarines Movie won't make waves. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it as a fan, and was very happy to see the 40K universe put into film format in such a manner. It is my fond hope that other companies and producers will seek to expand on this. If they stick to what Codex did and make a film for the fans rather than the masses then they can do some pretty good work, and Games Workshop themselves should do well to encourage this as well. I for one would love to see a film based on any of the many Black Library novels, or better yet on Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn trilogy! Oh, the mere thought of it ... EDIT: Happy New Year Everyone, BTW! [groans] |
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