Prologue: A Fateful Decision
One evening, my roommate and I decided the fate of movie night by flipping a coin. Heads, we watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Tails, we watch some obscure fantasy movie that she suggested called Mythica: A Quest for Heroes.
The coin landed heads-up, but we watched Mythica anyways because Disney+ wouldn't load.
Perhaps it was better that way.
Act I: Mystic Origins
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes, is a film by Arrowstorm Entertainment, an independent company that specializes in sci-fi and fantasy films. Mythica: A Quest for Heroes was also partially funded through a Kickstarter campaign, and acts as part one to a series of five movies, released in a span of three years between 2013 and 2016. The Kickstarter campaign collected about $95,000, but I could not find an official budget. That’s how under-the-radar this production is.
So, how does the story stack up?
Act II: The Judgement War
Within the first ten minutes of watching Mythica: A Quest for Heroes, I joked about how someone shot a movie based on their DnD campaign. The plot does not shy away from typical fantasy tropes. In fact, it's built on them.
Marek is a crippled slave girl who aspires to become a mage. After escaping her master, she goes to an adventurers' tavern to build a party and receive their first quest. She's plucky and optimistic, yet hides a dark secret. She's typical half-baked protagonist, but unlike some disappointments the Star Wars' Rey, Marek's inner darkness has real consequences and satisfying payoff in the later films.
So, what other trope characters do we have? There's the drunken soldier Thane who takes on the role as human meat shield, as well as the team dad. There's the half-elf thief Dagen, who of course is also a silver-tongued womanizer. Finally, we have the modest yet no-nonsense priestess Teela who gives the team their first quest: rescuing her friends from their temple that was attacked by a band of ruthless orcs and a sinister human wizard.
The wizard, working in service of a dark lord, is after a mysterious artifact from the temple. Yes, this is a Maguffin-driven story, are you surprised? "Find the thingy that the villains want so that we stop the thingy from being used for evil." It's as bland and uninspired of a story you can get.
This problem isn’t isolated in the first film. If you’ve seen Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, you’ll get deja vu from these movies. Bad guy will manipulate good guy into joining their side to save their friends. Species-based racism exists but is never challenged. Characters die and return to life. Characters die and meet up with their mentor figure in a limbo before the final battle. Normally, I’d put a spoiler tag for all of this, but I’m pretty sure nothing in this list surprised you.
marked for greatness. She's even got her own scar. Last seen bagging
Harry Potter's corpse and stealing his glasses.
Act III: Revelations
The story is nothing ground-breaking.
So why did I like it?
It’s been said before, but there is no such thing as an original story. Every piece of art borrows from what came before it. Even still, Mythica’s reliance on established tropes is a bit distracting. If someone pitched this movie to me, I would reject it with a note saying, “Take some creative risk, dang it!”
So why did I love Mythica: A Quest for Heroes, and watch all five films in the series?
What it lacks in originality, the other building blocks make up for in a secret ingredient: charm.
The sets are full of detail, ranging from cozy cabins to monster-infested caves. It looks like they bought their props from a Ren fair, hand made by local craftsmen and designers. The practical effects, especially the makeup for the orcs, are very impressive for such a small production.
The only “celebrity” actor is Kevin Sorbo, known for his role of the title character in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, as well as other smaller-production Christian films like God’s Not Dead. He only appears in the first Mythica film for about five minutes, but that didn’t stop the production company from giving him top billing and transposing his face on promotional images. I thought it was a shame, because the other actors put a lot of effort in their performances. Personally, I like it when unknown actors are casted, because that way I don’t immediately associate their face with another character. The cast of Mythica owns every moment they are on stage. I especially love the performance of Nicola Posener as the priestess Teela, who wrestles with her duty to her goddess and her growing affection for the warrior Thane. While Thane’s character is the least developed of the four man band, actor Adam Johnson nails the portrayal of an aging soldier trying to find his place. No big-name celebrity is needed to make any character shine.
stays together <3
Honestly, Kevin Sorbo’s time on screen gave me the vibe that he’d rather be somewhere else. His character, Gojun Pye, is your typical aloof yet wise magic man. Sorbo’s portrayal, however, put more emphasis on aloof, making him easily the least compelling character.
IT'S GOTTA BE GOOD
With talented designers and actors, the only clear limitation of Mythica’s production is the computer-generated effects, but it's not something that will ruin your watching experience. If anything, it’s a gentle reminder that this isn't a million-dollar-budget money-making venture like The Hobbit trilogy or Snow White and the Huntsman. Unlike cash cow schemes orchestrated by cynical movie producers in Hollywood, Mythica is a passion project made with love in every stitch.
Epilogue: The Return Home
In an interview with The Outpost, Jake Stormoen (who plays the role of the half-elf Dagen) describes his own lifelong admiration of classic fantasy, and how that has led to his attachment to Arrowstorm as a company. I think that captures what Mythica is all about. It's a film series made for fans of fantasy, by fans of fantasy. While the story takes no great risks and follows all-too-familiar tropes, you can still find enjoyment from how homey it feels. It sits comfortably in between a home video and a B-list action movie. If it sounds like the type of thing you would enjoy, then give it a shot. If not, then no sweat, you aren’t missing on anything monumental.
As for me, I found myself following the films to the end. I knew exactly what kind of story I was getting out of Mythica: clichéd, but familiar. Sometimes, the familiar is exactly what you need.
I haven’t seen this movie, but your review was very funny😂❤️
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