By Nia Edwards-Behi
I have been excited about The Dead Lands since I first heard about it last year – a period martial arts film conducted entirely in a minority language? That ticks a lot of my boxes, that does.
Hongi (James Rolleston) is something of the runt of the litter to his tribe. His father leads the tribe, and though honourable himself, falls foul of a nefarious rival clan. Almost all the tribe is slaughtered, and Hongi fails to either help or die alongside his brothers. The surviving tribeswomen tell him he must do what he can to seek vengeance. His only option is to enter the Dead Lands, a mysterious patch of land only the foolhardy dare traverse – because something still roams those lands and kills anyone who enters. Will Hongi make it through the trials of the Dead Lands and have his revenge?
First and foremost, the narrative is a simple, classic story. This is a coming of age quest film, and this simplicity is certainly an asset, as it allows for the cultural nuances to shine through, and for the unfamiliar martial art to get a proper showcase. That’s not to say that simplistic is weak, either – both Hongi and The Warrior (Lawrence Makoare) have moving threads in this tale. This is a timeless story, I suppose – it could easily be a Western, a kung fu movie, or, er, Star Wars.
Needless to say the film looks stunning. The New Zealand landscape is, naturally, both a beautiful and terrifying backdrop. If anything, I might have liked to have seen more of a sense of character to this terrain, rather than remain as simply beautiful scenery – this is a film called The Dead Lands, after all. A minor gripe, though, and it’s not just impressive scenery that gives this film a sense of place, but the superb costume, hair and make-up work too. Man-fanciers everywhere, this is very definitely the peplum you never knew you needed (well, sort of…you know what I mean).
Ultimately, of course, this is an action film, and boy does it deliver. At times excessively brutal (in a good way, duh), the fight choreography is awesome. I, as I imagine most people to be, am completely unfamiliar with traditional Maori fighting styles, and they’re a sight to behold. It’s great seeing haka in action after years of seeing it on the rugby pitch before the All Blacks stomp us into the ground – and it’s just as effective here. It’s worth noting that portions of the BIFFF crowd found the use of haka apparently hilarious, but frankly after you’ve seen massive warriors pulling faces once, if you’re still finding it hilarious 80, 90 minutes later then you might wanna sit down and have a think about your sense of humour.
Impressively, the film also boasts some great acting chops from Rolleston and Makoare in the central roles. They bring real nuance to what could have so easily been stock performances for stock characters. It’s a real pleasure to see an actor like Makoare, perhaps best known outside of New Zealand under heavy prosthetics, have a far-reaching role that really allows him to shine. For me, the most interesting aspect of the film is specifically cultural – we’ve honestly never had a film like this before, and that’s inherently fascinating. That this is also an extremely well-made film is one hell of a bonus.
If blokes (and the occasional lady) fighting isn’t your cup of tea then no amount of cultural interest is going to entirely win you over with The Dead Lands, as it is, ultimately, a really spectacular action film. If that sort of thing is your cup of tea, however, then The Dead Lands is an absolute treat from start to finish, and is a film that really deserves to be celebrated and savoured.