Review of Solomon Kane (2009) by Dustin I — 25 Jan 2014
While not a stunning movie, SOLOMON KANE is another serviceable entry in the sword-and-sorcery genre, and is based on a character created by Robert E. Howard, more famous for creating Conan the Barbarian.
The plot is rather simple and works as a sort-of origin story. The opening scene establishes the character in a rather cool way, but the rest of the movie details his quest to find the purpose/meaning in his life.
Having been a mercenary most of his life, he renounces that and vows to be a man of peace, so that his soul won't be damned to hell. On his journey, he meets a Puritan family, and when their daughter is kidnapped he promises to rescue her.
The mechanics of the story suffice, although the pacing was a little bit too "stop-start" for my tastes. There could have been 10-15 minutes shaved off of the run time. Also, being what it is the movie is rather predictable and sometimes falls into cliche.
However, where the movie excels is several well-filmed and brutally violent battle scenes. These were some of the best sword fights I've ever seen. There also wasn't too much CGI used, with the exception of two scenes: one at the beginning, and the other at the end.
Particularly in the opening scene, the sub-par CGI kind of took me out of the movie. Still, despite the shortcomings, this was a solidly entertaining fantasy-action film.
This review of Solomon Kane (2009) was written by Dustin I on 25 Jan 2014.
Solomon Kane has generally received mixed reviews.
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