Vlarion - The Elemental War

This review contains no spoilers.

This is where it all starts. While I was sitting down in a chair on a wet afternoon eating crisps, my computer showed Dask beginning his big fantasy adventure, trying to stop the Vlarions. The plot sounds all RPG-y, doesn't it. Well, guess what? To some extent, the movie is just like one! The turn-based RPG battles, the character equipping selection, it even has a map! Now, I admit that I'm not one of those RPG addicts, but I have played a fair few, and I really like the idea of treating the movie series kind of like RPG games.

And to fit in with the old RPG type theme, text boxes are used for dialogue and MIDIs are used for music. The text is most of the time interesting to read and as for the music, Aaron sure knows how to pick the right tunes! But these little things fail to compete against the top movies this year, 2004. No, I don't mind text boxes. The JDR series use them and I love those movies. I don't mind MIDIs. The Videogame Nightmare series use them and I love those movies. It's just in some cases, some scenes in Vlarion are a bit dull. I know, I know, this was made years ago, and I have taken it into account, but this movie doesn't completely grab my attention for every scene.

But this is a solid start to one of the most well-known series in 3DMM. The characters actually do have personalities (not many movies can boast this, even in 2004) and you can expect them to develop as the Vlarion series goes on. The story is intruiging, and the small RPG touches increases the entertainment value. I know this is years old, but if you have a while to spare, download this movie. You get to see one of the most well-thought out stories, you get to meet some strong characters and you get to see Hirolix.

Score: 75/100