Midnight Chronicles 2
In the world of MIDNIGHT, it is a time of overwhelming darkness. After three ages of scheming and war, the dark god Izrador has finally defeated the heroes and armies of the free races. Now, he rules the world of Aryth with an iron fist. Enslaved under the Shadow, the race of men leads an oppressed existence, and the elves and dwarves have retreated to distant forests and mountains, where their desperate resistance is slowly succumbing to the unyielding might of the Shadow. Investigating the disappearance of a legate priest, the infamous Mag Kiln has been ordered by the church to travel to the small Erenlander town of Blackweir. There, he soon becomes entangled in an old mystery and begins to uncover not only the forbidden legacy of the town, but the malevolent, prophetic force that grows within him.
MIDNIGHT CHRONICLES is the epic narrative that tells the tale of two legendary characters - one for the cause of good, the other for the cause of evil. This is the story of their rise.
Picture a world very similar to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth. You've got orcs, elves, a dark bad guy much like Sauron and everything but with one significant twist: 100 years ago, the bad guy won. This is the world of Midnight Chronicles. Some context: this world first appear as a 'Campaign setting' for the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game. A campaign setting, for the non-initiated simply being a world backdrop for your game adventures. Petersen is primarily known as the president of Fantasy Flight Games, a company that excels at making various board games, roleplaying games and also imports and translates several amazing board games from Europe.
In un mondo oscuro e avvolto dalle tenebre, dopo tre secoli di intrighi e guerre con cui ha sconfitto gli eroi e gli eserciti delle razze libere, il dio Izrador regna con il pugno di ferro e costringe gli uomini a vivere un’esistenza oppressa mentre elfi e nani si sono ritirati nelle foreste e nelle montagne lontane.
This is his first foray as a director and although I've seen worse, there really is a sense that he did not have the technical knowledge to pull this extremely ambitious project. There are a few positives, though. Charles Hubbell is pretty good in the role of the main character, Mag Kiln. The character has a little bit of Shades of grey but essentially, is an envoy of 'the bad guy'. As such, it is fascinating because usually, protagonists in epic fantasy are clearly 'good guys'. The only other actor who is decent is Sam L. Landman who plays Kruce.
He is Mag Kiln's sidekick and definitely has the best lines in the movie and injects a bit of wit in what is otherwise an overly dramatic affair. The rest of the cast ranges from decent to really bad.
Examine the side of the upper body of the clarinet to find the long, thin key just above the only hole located on the back of the instrument. All Buffet clarinets come stamped with the basic, round logo, so any other distinguishing marks can be used for identification. Beside the top of the register key should be a marking that Buffet uses to identify the model of the clarinet. This is the register key. Leblanc paris clarinet serial numbers. If there is a letter followed by a number, such as B12' or 'E11,' stamped below the emblem, this is the model of your clarinet.
The writing doesn't help either. Many of the characters are bland stereotypes, while others do seem to have depth which is ruined by a confusing plot.
And this is what basically kills any hope this movie has: the story overfeeds us with awkward plot exposition. There are several characters to keep track of but few are given enough attention for us to care. It has been said Midnight Chronicles was to act as a calling card, a pilot for a potential TV series and this shows. After all these characters are presented and a plot that moves very slowly, the movie ends abruptly on a less than thrilling sequence. As if you had to put 'DVD2' in your player. It's a little heartbreaking for me to review this labor of love.
The attempt at making a darker fantasy is laudable. And although the whole movie looks amateurish, it must have cost the producers (8 of them, including Petersen) an arm and a leg. The introduction sequence alone features tons of extras on a road. There are horse scene, several sets were build and the 3D is amateurish but still pretty.
It all comes down to writing, acting and direction. I can feel the love in this independent project but the skills are lacking. Here's hoping it's still picked for a TV series as there is much potential if additional writers tighten this up.
The “Midnight Chronicles” is a four part fantasy series based upon Mike Singleton’s seminal ZX Spectrum games: “The Lords of Midnight”, “Doomdark’s Revenge”; the PC game “The Citadel” and the unpublished “The Eye of the Moon”.
An epic fantasy starting in the the ice-bound land of Midnight and then spreading out throughout Mike Singleton’s remarkable expansive landscape. The series follows heroes and heroines as they battle evil oppressors and wrestle with magical talismans whilst trying to protect those they love. Featuring daring quests and huge battles between mighty powers, the Midnight Chronicles is the official licensed story of Mike Singleton’s ground breaking games.
Book 1 – The Lords of Midnight, available now
Book 2 – Doomdark’s Revenge, scheduled for 2019
Book 3 – The Citadel, scheduled for 2020
Book 4- The Eye of the Moon, being planned