Wolfhound of the Grey Dog Clan (2006)

This has to be a very poor attempt of fantasy, if this is the best the Russians can do then we don't have to worry about the movie industry in the West. Its safe and sound, the storyline was poor the acting was like... well take some silent movie actors from the last century and tell them to actually speak. The actors at times appeared to be just standing around with literally no direction, it was as if the movie was made with 2 actors and 100 extras ha ha ha and that included the Ham bat LOL. Overall i only watched it because I paid GBP 10.00 for the DVD, I will now however read all the blurb on the packaging to make sure this never befalls me again..............

Loved this movie, not really sure why. Its a dubbed movie, but the voices they used don't match some of the characters to me. Some points in the movie I got confused, but they tie it all together pretty well if you pay attention to what is going on. Watching the movie a second time cleared everything up that I didn't catch the first time. I had to do the same with two towers and return of the king. Not saying this movie on the same level as either of those movies, but it is still a good movie. If you are looking for something to compare it to, the cover of the movie comes pretty close. Its a mix of Conan the Barbarian and LOTR, but with some elements of the D&D movie(the one with Marlon Waynes *shivers*) and In the Name of the King(the only Uwe Boll movie i will watch). Its a good rental, if nothing else to make fun of with your friends MST 3000 style, but I bought it to have something to watch when im bored.

I spent my childhood in a country behind the "iron curtain", in the Soviet sphere of influence. As such, as a kid I've seen more Russian movies than most people in the west. And then, after the fall of USSR, I haven't seen any Russian movie at all. I was very intrigued upon hearing of this movie - I wanted to see how modern Russian cinematography looks like.I can say that the movie is a treat. It may not be the best fantasy movie ever, but it's definitely in the top of my list.The story is not really all that original, but it's different enough from the typical Hollywood to feel fresh. As others have noted, the movie deals with some philosophic aspects regarding fate and free will as well as Slavic mythology.The production value is just fabulous. I found the town of Galirad incredibly realistic and then I've read that it was actually built on 5 sq.Km (2 sq. miles). It looks real, it feels real. The costumes are also nicely done.The special effects are just incredible, especially considering that we're not talking about Hollywood budgets. The main character has a bat sidekick, which happens to be the most realistic CGI animal I've seen. I'm still not convinced it's 100%, I think they "cheated" by using a real bat in some of the shots.Acting is good, even though it's not stellar; the characters are somewhat underdeveloped.Overall, I think it's a must-see movie - if only to see something different than you're used to. (as an aside, just after I've seen the movie, I checked the TV; "Troy" was on. It looked so fake, so cliché, so much obsessed with the big stars it had on-screen that the story had to take the backseat, that I couldn't watch it.) With this film, the Russians have shown that they still can do great movies. I can't wait to see more of them!

I was looking for some traditional adventure movie, yet with an intriguing story. Honestly movies like Eragon didn't manage to deliver that sense of real epic journey. So I was in the mood to try something new when I stumbled across that Russian gem. Even from its very beginning the Wolfhound lived up to my expectations.A brilliant recreation of the well-known story about a boy, who seeks revenge for his murdered family. Without any unnecessary delay the story jumps in time and the boy is already a swordsman on his quest for justice for his slaughtered tribe. Following his destiny Valkodav makes new friends in the face of a charming bat, a blind magician, a saved victim and a bedazzling princess.What I particularly like about this movie is its realistic atmosphere. The people look staggeringly rigid and joyless, the breath-taking scenery alternates with evil-infected places like the dark and muddy pagan village. The hero bleeds like anyone else who meets the blade. When the ultimate battle takes place Valkodav is at his upsurge to change the course of history.If you liked Conan and The Lord of the Rings, Wolfhound would certainly surge some emotions you though you had forgotten. And all I can do is to restlessly wait for the sequel.