BLACK DEATH: 2010: HORROR: +-: Seeing this on the Netflix cue, I decided to give it a chance since it dealt with some interesting subject matter and had Sean Bean, who I've seen in other movies like Lord of the Ring.
It's not that it's a terrible movie, it just lacked focus and became lost in it's own plot line. While the scenery and music were well done, the characters were only mildly developed and their overall motivation was unclear. There is a plague ravaging the society, but why exactly are they gallivanting about on their horses with a monk? It's only vaguely detailed.
Some of the scenery and locations were excellent.
I also don't know how this is a horror movie. There were some gruesome torture sequences during the end, but overall, it was not scary in the sense that it triggered the usual effects of a horror movie like a quickening pulse, anxiety, or dread. It just was violent and gory.
Is violence equivalent to fright?
There was also a fight scene midway through the movie that didn't really make any sense at all. They were just raided by thieves and had to kill them in order to survive. That was it.
There was some action in the movie but it had no bearing on the plot.
A horror movie set in this time period would be great and in some ways the sets and the overall mood were in line with a horror movie, but it just wasn't enough to make it scary.
The atmosphere attempted to set the stage for horror, but ultimately fell short.
The movie gets it's most interesting elements when the team of knights, vagabonds, and rogues come to a village that seems untainted by the black death plague. Although they are welcomed but, Ulric, played by Sean Bean, is skeptical of the village, especially of its beautiful leader, played by Carice van Houten. She seems like a benevolent leader, but things aren't always as they seem.
She seems nice at first, or does she?
The group is invited to imbibe on some ale while being entertained by the women folk. They are actually poisoned and wind up in a cell where they have to renounce their faith in order to live or get tortured. At this point, the torture scenes are pretty gruesome.
One of the gruesome scenes and this isn't the worst of the bunch..
The monk had an inkling that there was something wrong because the night before he saw the woman leader performing necromancy, bringing back a love he once had before becoming a monk. This confuses him but ultimately sets up the final battle.
The necromancy scene where the leader shows she is a witch was a high point.
I won't give away the ending because if you like this time period and want to watch a movie that has some action and other elements of the medieval epoch, watch it. I just didn't think it lived up to expectations: 69%
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