Teh Epic Episode 1

The minds behind the splendid VGN2, Mike and Justin have unleashed their own brand of humour once more, this time targeting the ever-amusing Fantasy Adventure genre. While being well observed and obscure in the most comical sense imaginable, Teh Epic in my mind is only a step ahead of VGN2 in the way of similar humour. And by a step I refer to a very small one. While the comedy is appreciated and marks a welcome return, sadly the directors fail to offer us anything particularly new, and playing safe with the kind of visceral kinetic sight gags their last two efforts are now reknowned for means that at times Teh Epic just feels like an expansion of the same film. As a result, Teh Epic is good but not great, funny but not hilarious, and lacks a certain enthused wit VGN2 exploited so well.

This is not to say this makes Teh Epic a bad movie. Truly as a comedy it's one to be admired, often proving very very amusing in all the right places and knowing when to lampoon areas of popular culture often ignored (although that said, the rpg fight sequence is not new ground in the world of 3dmm). As a result, Teh Epic is a very enjoyable movie, full of sight gags and developing enormous potential to the inevitable second chapter and how ever many follow. However, Belfance and Wawrzonek tread similar water and stick to comedy that matches VGN2’s style easily and could fit in as a missing piece of that movie. In short, Teh Epic is stylistically identical, thus it is likely to have the same effect on viewers that VGN2 had. Which can only be a good thing if not for the faint voice in your head telling you the film is original in context but not in terms of what’s to be chuckled at. That’s a minor setback to a very promising opening chapter however, and eventually you’re immersed in the off-beat attraction and the always questionable maturity of the product.

In the beginning we’re introduced to it has to be said some very entertaining and original premises. The concept of a ‘minstrel’ has always struck a cord with my humour and thus that in particular stood out. Indeed, the entertainment value to be had from the mannerisms is flawless, and the parody of that wizard Peter Jackson seems to find so adorable is well-placed and equally if inevitably relevant and comical. In terms of directorial effort – you’d be forgiven for thinking minimum effort was put in, but to be fair there were obvious reasons for this. This is the first episode, the characters were more important and after all, the focus should rightly remain where it is needed most: on the humour. And it goes down extremely well. What’s even nicer about this is that it is clear Mike and Justin are genuine fans of the genre as well, putting real thought into the film and where to take it. It’s this kind of attention to detail that makes it all the more enjoyable. Rather than being a radiant attack on a long established genre Teh Epic proves itself as a homage to what’s great about these films in the first place, and in many cases choosing the targets carefully in order to do them any especial justice.

Long-winded, far-fetched and overly stereotypical… which is exactly what I know I wanted from a Fantasy parody. Mike and Justin earn their stripes once more with a thoughtful piss-take on a classic genre. And at such a time when Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars are dominating the stakes, Teh Epic arrives in the nick of time. Sadly it has its flaws but I’m not really in the mood to discuss them, the movie boasts enough giggles to keep you smiling afterward. And that’s a good sign. Keeping this up could make the similar chapters come together forming an epic in itself, which not only adds to a certain irony but's also the closest you'll get to the 3dmm equivalent of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.