Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, John Lynch
On Blu-Ray + DVD: May 10, 2011
Black Death has easily been the biggest surprise of the year so far. That is because it had a lot of things going against it in my book. First and foremost, it is a film set during the Middle Ages. There are definitely some great films set during this time period (like The Seventh Seal and Braveheart), but as a general rule, these movies are very redundant and predictable. Black Death was also pretty much a direct-to-DVD release. Obviously, movies that feel necessary to completely skip a theatrical release usually do so because the filmmakers don't think it is good enough to warrant a theatrical release. Finally, the film has drawn continuous comparisons to Valhalla Rising, a medieval film from 2010 that actually made my bottom 10 of the year. Having said all of this, Black Death blew me away.
Black Death is the story of a young monk named Osmund (Redmayne), during the period when the bubonic plague ravaged through Europe. As a guide, Osmund joins a group of knights led by Ulric (Bean), who are on a quest to a town in the middle of a forest where the plague has supposedly never reached. When they reach the town, they find out that all of its members have forsaken their Christian heritage in favor of their leader, a necromancer named Langiva. Ulric's group decides that the heathens must be dealt with.
Interestingly, the comparisons to Valhalla Rising are completely valid, as both films follow the same general storyline and even touch on the same thematic elements. In Valhalla, the main character joins a group of crusaders who are on their way to purge the Holy Land of nonbelievers. Both films also focus significantly on the concept of good and evil, and more specifically how this concept is not black and white, as religion usually likes to paint it. The reason that I enjoyed Black Death so much more is because it executed this theme much better. In Black Death, the consequences of being a nonbeliever feel true and makes you wonder if Ulric and his team are there not to destroy evil but to kill non-Christians. The movie isn't anti-Christian, either: the nonbelievers are just as atrocious to the knights. Black Death is also a much more entertaining film than Valhalla Rising was. When I watched Valhalla, it seemed like nothing important would happen for 10 or 15 straight minutes, and it was a chore to watch. Conversely, I was completely enthralled with Black Death's story and the characters in it.
I was also pretty impressed with the technical aspects of the movie. Being direct-to-DVD, I have to assume that Black Death had an extremely small budget, but the filmmakers still managed to find some beautiful scenery and develop some impressive cinematography. The film managed to use long shots without seeming tedious or boring. The acting overall was also really good. Redmayne conveyed his transition from innocent monk to battle-hardened knight well, though I wish the film had focused on his traditional Christian values a bit more. Carice von Houten, who plays Langiva, managed to infuse her antagonist with sexiness and sympathy. The star of the film for me, though, was Sean Bean, even though he's basically playing the character he always plays. He just has a presence about him that makes him feel as if he was actually plucked from the Middle Ages, and that makes his performances like these seem very authentic.
Not that Black Death is flawless. Other than Bean, the other knights aren't very fleshed out and therefore seem like caricatures. Another major problem for me was the shaky camera during one of the pivotal battle scenes in the film. I usually don't have a problem with shaky cam (for instance, I love most of Paul Greengrass's work), but in this film I actually found myself having trouble seeing what was actually happening. I also wish that more time had been spent on the necromancer's town. When the group reaches the town, the plot escalates very quickly, and I wish the film had given some time for the knights to explore the town a bit further.
Overall, though, Black Death was a great film. It manages to bring up religious ideas while also entertaining with a fun, gruesome story. Bean and Redmayne give great performances, and the camera work (other than the battle scene) is surprisingly good. Don't let the direct-to-DVD moniker fool you: Black Death is better than 90% of the films that will be released in theaters this year, and you need to check it out.
Black Death has easily been the biggest surprise of the year so far. That is because it had a lot of things going against it in my book. First and foremost, it is a film set during the Middle Ages. There are definitely some great films set during this time period (like The Seventh Seal and Braveheart), but as a general rule, these movies are very redundant and predictable. Black Death was also pretty much a direct-to-DVD release. Obviously, movies that feel necessary to completely skip a theatrical release usually do so because the filmmakers don't think it is good enough to warrant a theatrical release. Finally, the film has drawn continuous comparisons to Valhalla Rising, a medieval film from 2010 that actually made my bottom 10 of the year. Having said all of this, Black Death blew me away.
Black Death is the story of a young monk named Osmund (Redmayne), during the period when the bubonic plague ravaged through Europe. As a guide, Osmund joins a group of knights led by Ulric (Bean), who are on a quest to a town in the middle of a forest where the plague has supposedly never reached. When they reach the town, they find out that all of its members have forsaken their Christian heritage in favor of their leader, a necromancer named Langiva. Ulric's group decides that the heathens must be dealt with.
Interestingly, the comparisons to Valhalla Rising are completely valid, as both films follow the same general storyline and even touch on the same thematic elements. In Valhalla, the main character joins a group of crusaders who are on their way to purge the Holy Land of nonbelievers. Both films also focus significantly on the concept of good and evil, and more specifically how this concept is not black and white, as religion usually likes to paint it. The reason that I enjoyed Black Death so much more is because it executed this theme much better. In Black Death, the consequences of being a nonbeliever feel true and makes you wonder if Ulric and his team are there not to destroy evil but to kill non-Christians. The movie isn't anti-Christian, either: the nonbelievers are just as atrocious to the knights. Black Death is also a much more entertaining film than Valhalla Rising was. When I watched Valhalla, it seemed like nothing important would happen for 10 or 15 straight minutes, and it was a chore to watch. Conversely, I was completely enthralled with Black Death's story and the characters in it.
I was also pretty impressed with the technical aspects of the movie. Being direct-to-DVD, I have to assume that Black Death had an extremely small budget, but the filmmakers still managed to find some beautiful scenery and develop some impressive cinematography. The film managed to use long shots without seeming tedious or boring. The acting overall was also really good. Redmayne conveyed his transition from innocent monk to battle-hardened knight well, though I wish the film had focused on his traditional Christian values a bit more. Carice von Houten, who plays Langiva, managed to infuse her antagonist with sexiness and sympathy. The star of the film for me, though, was Sean Bean, even though he's basically playing the character he always plays. He just has a presence about him that makes him feel as if he was actually plucked from the Middle Ages, and that makes his performances like these seem very authentic.
Not that Black Death is flawless. Other than Bean, the other knights aren't very fleshed out and therefore seem like caricatures. Another major problem for me was the shaky camera during one of the pivotal battle scenes in the film. I usually don't have a problem with shaky cam (for instance, I love most of Paul Greengrass's work), but in this film I actually found myself having trouble seeing what was actually happening. I also wish that more time had been spent on the necromancer's town. When the group reaches the town, the plot escalates very quickly, and I wish the film had given some time for the knights to explore the town a bit further.
Overall, though, Black Death was a great film. It manages to bring up religious ideas while also entertaining with a fun, gruesome story. Bean and Redmayne give great performances, and the camera work (other than the battle scene) is surprisingly good. Don't let the direct-to-DVD moniker fool you: Black Death is better than 90% of the films that will be released in theaters this year, and you need to check it out.
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