The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! What the heck did I just watch??? The whole time I didn't know what was happening. It's in black in white, and full of shaky cuts. We all think you have to be on drugs to enjoy this "movie". I'm a big fan of time-travel movies, but that element of the movie is barely touched on. Don't let the other reviewers fool you into seeing this movie - ever! We all were confused during this movie - right from the very beginning, through the time travel and at the end too. Some of the scenes were comical (although there were not supposed to be). Strongly suggest you don't see this movie for any reason. I'm rating this a 2 and not a 1 because it had a nice twist at the end.

In a medieval Welsh village, a strange fey boy has a vision; that if the villagers plant a cross on the highest steeple in Christendom, the village will be spared the Plague. So begins a journey that takes the villagers, the boy, and the audience to entirely unexpected places. Even though the film tried to be too 'relevant' in places, the mix of humor and sudden plot twists, and the bittersweet ending that comes as a surprise, but shouldn't, hold up extremely well. In particular the collision between medieval Wales and modern New Zealand lent itself to some truly hilarious moments. (Quote from the movie, from one of the villagers; "The Church is a business; and it runs out of money?") I really wish I owned this film, or a better copy of the soundtrack.

i enjoyed this film when it was first released on video - it never seemed to have played the theaters in my college town. i loved it! i've often thought about it from time to time, and wondered why i never see it on TV. it seems like a good film for the sci-fi channel or bravo (dear god, how many times can they run 'braveheart'???) i recall it being inventive, well-acted, well-directed.a pity it's not better known. heck, i don't even think it can be found at blockbusters now.

I wish I could have a few minutes to hear Vincent Ward's take on the marketing of the movie, because I never have seen anything so mis-marketed. I could see some US film distributor scratching his head and saying, "gee? how are we going to make this dreary arty movie about the black plague appeal to the lowest common denominator of the US market?", "Ok, let's slap sci-fi and time travel on it..."Navigator is a beautifully filmed, well acted, impressive movie that (hear this!) has nothing to do with time-travel, or "monks dodging 20th century stuff"...it is an allegory! (look that up). What Mr. Ward does is, rather than rely on expensive and silly special effects to spice up fantasy dream sequences, simply juxtaposes 20th century settings with the 14th century time frame of the film to give life to a boy's fantastic visions, and story told to give hope and entertain the desperate people of his village...his visions, done in color and film with the 20th century as it backdrop is as fantastic to the people of his village, as if someone from the 14th century actually did travel through time. With premonitions of the arrival of the plague to his village (which turn out to be heeded), the villagers of a winter bound poor community hover in fear and look for any omen good or bad to give them some sign of what is coming. With a fantastic narration of a quest (ala the holy grail) to mount a spire on a church in a faraway land, that if done before sunrise would save the village, a boy describes his fantasy which is shown to us, complete with sea monsters and dragons (all represented by 20th century contrivances).For those seeking real time travel, stick to the true sci-fi, you will be disappointed...For those interested in seeing a dark, moving tale of the desperation that must have been felt by the people who lived through the plague without understanding what it really was...a tale where the fantastic is really our wonderfully mundane world...check this out.