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Feb
06
2006

Exodus Review

Posted by Todd Brown at 2:18am.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Asia.

exodus6small.jpg

With the sword and sorcery genre racking up huge box office around the world in recent years there is a great deal riding on Erik Matti’s Exodus. Not only is the film one of the most expensive – if not the most expensive - ever produced in the Philippines but it also represents the country’s largest ever foray into computer assisted effects work. A failure would not only represent a huge blow to Matti and the film’s investors but could also very likely have a major impact on the country’s willingness to pursue film making on this scale in the future. Lucky for them, then, that Matti has turned in a solidly entertaining film. Less Lord of the Rings than Krull, Exodus taps into that mid eighties sword and sorcery vibe with strong elements of classic Hong Kong action fantasy thrown in. The film also boasts a shockingly strong Terry Gilliam / Jean-Pierre Jeunet influence in some of the design elements.

It must be said before proceeding that Exodus is purely a children’s film. The film’s prologue – an odd little combo introduction and ‘turn your cell phones off’ PSA – makes it abundantly clear that this is a film aimed squarely at pre-teen viewers. That isn’t to say that older viewers won’t find plenty to enjoy but it does have certain consequences. Most significantly there are a pair of characters aimed squarely and solely at getting the kids involved, the plot is very direct and straightforward, and the fight sequences are entirely bloodless. The fact that the lead character is played by an active politician is probably also a factor in the overall cleanliness of things: angst and antiheroes don’t really encourage votes.

Exodus is a mercenary fighter currently employed by the people of Bantayan, the last human settlement in the world. Bantayan’s numbers are dwindling and they are under assault by the evil and powerful king Bagulbol and his legions of dark warriors and are desperately hoping that Exodus can help them stem the tide, at least for a while. Exodus, for his part, is a cold man, caring only about who is currently paying his bills. His past is a mystery and he is plagued by dreams that hint at some mysterious, violent past.

After withstanding a particularly fierce assault from Bagulbol the leader of Bantayan recognizes, quite correctly, that they are fighting a battle they are doomed to lose and he concocts a final, desperate plan. Bagulbol must be killed and to that end Bantayan pools their last resources and hires Exodus to capture the last remaining Elementals – four magical beings with supernatural powers – and with their help assault Bagulbol’s castle and kill the evil king. Exodus’ unwilling allies are Tayho, a blue horse-tailed giant; Silab a childlike creature who can splinter off kung fu fighting twins and control fire; Bangkila, a fierce winged warrior; and Liu-ay, a beautiful spirit who can control nature.

The production quality is slightly uneven through the film. Though Exodus boasts a very high budget by Filipino standards it is perfectly clear that they still had to select certain aspects of the film to receive more attention than others. In its down moments – mostly the outdoor traveling sequences and some of the creature effects – the film mines a sort of Xena / Hercules vibe, which is not an entirely bad thing really. But as you get deeper into the film Matti gets more chance to flex and stretch his directorial muscles. The sequences in the Enchanted Kingdom – the magical land Exodus travels to to find the Elementals – boast some gorgeous photography, and some of the CG matte paintings are truly spectacular.

The best work, however, comes in the two standing sets that obviously ate a huge amount of the budget and design attention. The human city of Bantayan is a vertical maze of wooden catwalks and rickety landings, a spiderweb of scaffolding at the center of which sits the human leader. The leader himself is wired through a peculiar metal helmet into the skulls of two men seated on either side of him, both of whom have concave magnifying lenses wrapped around their faces and who speak all of his words simultaneously with him. The effect is hard to describe but both the set and the leadership trio would not be out of place in either Jeunet’s City of Lost Children or Gilliam’s Brazil. It is a spectacular piece of design work and Matti uses it well. The other major set, not surprisingly, is Bagulbol’s castle, which exists in three major sections. We first meet the king bathing in a frothing fountain of human blood, a nasty piece of work. His throne room is an ornate piece of work built to grand scale, a scale Bagulbol himself matches with his wildly intricate costuming and series of metallic masks. The throne room is also the regular home of Bagulbol’s chief advisor, a fortune teller continually consulting his mass of free floating tarot cards, the cards being the CG designers’ finest moment by far. And beneath the throne room is Bagulbol’s dungeon laboratory, a space filled with oversize gears and human test subjects dangling half naked from the ceiling.

Though the characters and plot are a touch on the over simplistic side Exodus boasts a unique enough vision and enough strong set pieces – an evil general’s electrical arrows versus Liu-ay’s flying rocks; dual whips versus Silab’s twins; the final confrontation between Exodus and Bagulbol – that it balances out to be a solid popcorn film, not a classic but plenty entertaining.

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Reader Comments

  1. joeybrash 02/06/2006 @ 3:40am

    though i have seen it yet, i have a feeling you’ll like erik matti’s pedro penduko 2: the return of the comeback

  2. Tory 02/06/2006 @ 7:01am

    Cool. I think I’ll get this for my little brother. smile

  3. toddly6666 02/06/2006 @ 10:18am

    Eventhough EXODUS looks impressive and I will check it out, I highly recommend anyone to NOT even waste your time watching PEDRO PENDUKO EPISODE 2. Here’s my review of the film:

    This will be my shortest DVD mini review ever, because I have tried to watch the most unwatchable movie I have ever seen - a masterpiece from the Phillipines called PEDRO PENDUKO: EPISODE 2: THE RETURN OF THE COMEBACK. I was only able to watch the first 10 minutes and then fast foward through the film - I watched some fight and action scenes, but they sucked, and I kept on fast fowarding. From what I made out, this movie is sort of like a Philippines version of ARMY OF DARKNESS.

    I did so much researching looking for a good Phillipines action movie. I heard that they have an awful and embarrasing film industry, but it’s an Asian country and there must be at least one good action movie from this country. So I finally came across articles about this PEDRO movie. One article says that the director Erik Matti is one of the few directors out of the Phillipines that has style and potential. Another article at Twitch.com has the website/trailer of Erik Matti’s new movie called EXODUS (http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/004503.html). This movie looks pretty good. So I investigated one of Erik Matti’s earlier films - PEDRO PENDUKO - which came out in 2000. I then tried to find one review of this film anywhere on the internet. So I found one at AINTITCOOL.COM and the critic gave it a good review (Pedro Penduko: Episode 2 - The Return of The Comeback” was a very fun movie. It’s definitely on par with the original. The special effects in this movie are astounding and so are the fight sequences. This movie is probably the best sci-fi/fantasy Filipino Movie ever. The plot of the story was somewhat cliched and forced but it all works out in the end. The story this time picks up where the first one left off, Pedro Penduko battling the forces of hell and stuff. He gets pissed and quits the job but another dimension grabs him and asks for his help. While fighting the five villains in this flick, he loses his amulet (therefore losing his power). He must lead the people of that dimension against the villains as mentioned in the prophecy. The movie, like the first one, included tonnes of inside jokes and cameos. The first one saw Darna, Captain Barbel, Panday and others help Pedro. This time, Muro Ami and Joyce Jimenez give him support with tonnes of other A-list stars like Christopher de Leon and Rudy Fernandez. It was no surprise considering the first one had Sharon Cuneta and Robin Padilla on it. Overall, a visual masterpiece filled with tonnes (and I mean) tonnes of surprises.)

    Okay, it sounds decent - but that is not the case. This movie makes GLITTER and CROSSROADS and Bollywood movies into masterpieces in comparison. At least those movies are actually watchable. PEDRO PENDUKO is literally unwatchable.

    The DVD at least was 12 bucks - not a big loss.

    The video is Full-Frame and a bit washed out a bit. It switched to a kind-of-letterboxed version during a few battle scenes (amateur filmmaking). But overall, not really bad for a full-frame movie.

    The audio is Philipino Stereo.

    The English subtitles were good surprisingly.

    The only extras was a painful trailer that I could not find online before making the mistake of purchasing this film.

    FILM: 0

    DVD VIDEO: 6

    DVD AUDIO: 6

    EXTRAS: 1

    Have the Philippines made any good movies, besides a few art-house films that are only released abroad? I mean have the Philippines made a good movie for their own people? I liked the Filipino-American movie THE DEBUT. That was a pretty good movie. But that’s it. If this Erik Matti is considered one of the most respectable Filipino directors, then I can’t imagine what the other Phillipines movies are like. Can movies get reviews in the negative? Is it possible?

  4. Todd 02/06/2006 @ 10:27am

    Hey toddly ... of current Filipino films I’m a big fan of Yam Laranas’ Sigaw. Laranas has just an incredible eye ... he got signed to ICM after the film played at Screamfest LA last fall and it’s been picked up for a US remake. I think he’s the real deal.

    If you’re looking to unload that DVD I’ll take it off your hands ... I’m on a bit of a Matti kick right now and I have an undeniable attraction to bad films ...

  5. CTDeLude 02/06/2006 @ 10:58am

    Ha...ask most Pinoys here in the States if they have any good cinema over in the Philippines and you’ll most get blank stares.

    Least that’s how it’s been whenever I inquire. (This from the man marrying into the culture).

  6. crabbie 02/06/2006 @ 11:31am

    The bad thing about most Filipinos is that they have double standards. We easily get impressed with foreign flicks while amateur local critics let our own cinema rot with vitriol reviews. Sometimes we have to put into context the situation most filmmakers are in while making the movie, like classification ratings (most producers want a GP) and the requirements and givens of certain projects (wouldn’t go into that in a public forum) and the dreaded six letter word - BUDGET. Hope you guys continue your interest in Philippine Cinema. Like it or not, it’s here to stay.

  7. quincy 02/12/2006 @ 11:22pm

    pangit>>>>>.........

  8. MADman 02/22/2006 @ 1:55am

    A nicely optimistic albeit extremely forgiving review of this film. Saw it myself and I have to say that production values (probably the best aspect of the film) aside, the story is by-the-numbers bland and lacking imagination devoid of any moments for you to see depth to the cast. The sudden revelation before the third act is pretty empty and emotionally unsatisfying. The villain does nothing till the finale, and there is no feeling of dread, danger or peril throughout the entire film. It’s all a leisurely walk to the land of evil to kill this pretty boy masked dude and happily ever after.

    Not just as a Filipino myself but as a lover of fantasy/action films, I have to say that Exodus is far, far below par- perhaps on line with the B-movie Deathstalker films, especially made sad by the fact that everything is played dead serious. On the good side, it’s not horrible, but lowering expectations a lot will greatly help enjoyment of this film.

  9. Tom516 03/16/2006 @ 9:20pm

    First off, I was quite surprised to find this website and I’d like to thank you for quite an entertaining morning reading the various reviews.

    Philippine cinema has become much stronger visually - as a good number of Philippine films are - than story-wise. This is (sadly) no exception and the misplaced belief of the studios and directors that special effects will make a movie succeed (at least in the Philippines) without the aid of a good (or even plausible) story is pathetically tragic. Witness such efforts as the Pearl Harbor ripoff Yamashita Treasure whose only claim to fame is that it uses digital effects ‘just like Titanic’ - the same can be said about the pedantic and over-long Oliver Stone(d) biopic Jose Rizal by Diaz-Abaya who seems to have lost whatever she had going for her in the 70’s (Dekada 70 proved that).

    The film is a children’s exercise, the names themselves are virtual parodies - some deep Tagalog term that tempts the viewer to believe that there’s actually some meaning in the picture - but please EXODUS? Does the film maker even understand the cultural baggage that the term - which isn’t even Filipino - carries? You half expect Paul Newman and the Hagganah or perhaps even Charlton Heston with a white beard and a staff to show up. Filipino directors nowadays have no talent for subtlety.

    It is truly sad because there are great creative people - writers no less - who are either too poor or too scared to bet on anything other than the sure box office draw. Damn all for international release - most of the time its the same tried and true formulaic shtick that they have been churning out for the last few decades. If you want to go global better have a global perspective with a damn good sense of who you are. Forget about copying the latest Hollywood blockbuster. It’s really sad that the best you can show the world is a ripoff.

    Another thing - if you could see the posters for films like Panday or this one - you’d swear it was the Lord of the Rings with Filipino actors substituting for Viggo, Ian and Elijah. That in itself should tell you how bad the film is going to be.

    About PEDRO PENDUKO RETURN OF THE COMEBACK - from the title alone it’s a satire, perhaps not technically polished but it’s not meant to be an ‘action’ film as much as it is a commentary on action films. This is why it worked for me - the cliches and all are meant to be there because that’s what mainstream Philippine cinema is (sadly). Well, Filipinos love to criticise so reflexive cinema does tend to be one of its strong points.

    Has anyone commented on THIRD WORLD HERO (BAYANING THIRD WORLD) or JOSE RIZAL? That would be an interesting read.

  10. Tom516 03/16/2006 @ 9:26pm

    By the way Crabbie, it’s not about double standards all the time. It’s about the sheer quality of the work. If Hollywood churns out a piece of horse dung I expect it to be treated as such regardless of how many stars it has or how much they spent on the special effects. And you don’t always need a big budget to accomplish great things. Look at the Best Foreign Language Film this year, Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi - it’s a powerful film shot right there without much need for special effects or sweeping vistas but right on the money acting and scriptwise, both of which seem to be quite deficient where Philippine cinema is concerned. Lack of budget is a rotten excuse for lack of vision.

  11. toddly6666 04/28/2006 @ 7:49am

    The DVD for EXODUS is currently available at Filipino online stores. Some sites list the DVD with English subtitles, and other sites list no subtitles...so be careful when shopping!

  12. francis ty 01/08/2007 @ 3:46pm

    the movie was ridiculous!!!!fuck you
    -----

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