While I spent the first three-quarters of the film finding it impossible to invest in the characters and noting every other minute that some of the dialogue was a bit wooden (both in its penning and delivery), by the end of the film I found myself really enjoying it. While the story is nothing original, its unique setting excuses that - though again you only forgive it until nearing the end of the film.
Once the characters reach the 'Mountains of the Gods' the film picks up and is the exhilarating movie I was hoping for from the start. The side story (side only because it was not essential) of the slave captor and his ‘witch’ is also a very interesting part of the plot. In fact it was the most original and satisfying – just a shame it was so peripheral.
I suppose I ought to acknowledge the look of the film. It’s good. But that’s pretty much a given if it is a high-budget film, so I can’t really say it is anything admirable.
Finally, the supernatural elements of the plot never felt very well justified and that annoyed me. So overall I suppose while it has its moments of glory, it’s just your average big-budget blockbuster flick that’s good for a few thrills. Take it or leave it, you may well feel as indifferent after watching it as I did. It did a good job of killing a couple of hours – but there are films of a similar nature out there that do it better.