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Parents' Guide to

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

LOTR copycat is so bad it's good -- for laughs.

Movie PG-13 2008 124 minutes
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

She Wolf3003
She Wolf3003 Adult
April 26, 2019
age 18+

This is not a copy of LOTR

I really like the film and I don't really care what the film critics think about it. It should be seen as a fun romp with Dungeon Siege Ehb characters. Those who see it as a copy of any other movie really should know that it is NOT. If you judge it against other fantasy movies and find it lacking then so be it. Magic users are part of many Role Playing Games (RPGs) not just Dungeon Siege. As I have said it should be seen as a fun romp and judged accordingly.
nicola S.
nicola S. Parent of 10-year-old
December 28, 2016
age 10+

great

Watched this with my ten year old son, who does not like overly violent or gorey films, blood makes him feel sick, we both loved it, yes it's very similar to Lord of the rings 're storey line but simpler and easier to watch, sometimes that is a good thing when you do not want to have to concentrate too hard or constantly explain overly complex storey lines, really do no get the bad reviews, also think it holds lots of morale, never give up and stand up for what you believe etc....
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

English action star Jason Statham (The Transporter) stars in this low-rent Lord of the Rings-style epic that somehow lured Gimli himself (John Rhys-Davies) to sign on as Merlin-esque king's wizard Merick. Statham plays a farmer named Farmer (he believes you are what you do) who's living a pretty idyllic country life. But when the rogue wizard Gallian (Ray Liotta, cranking up the crazy) unleashes an army of orc-like creatures to destroy the kingdom, Farmer's wife is kidnapped and his son is killed. Bent on revenge, Farmer joins the king's (Burt Reynolds) troops and proceeds to single-handedly defeat Gallian's gruesome fighters.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

It's not just that the movie's production values are low -- which is surprising, since German filmmaker Uwe Boll reportedly had a $60 million budget -- it's that nothing works. Least of all Statham, who's as charismatic here as a block of cheddar. At least the supporting players -- like Rhys-Davies, Ron Perlman as Farmer's mentor, and Brian White as the king's general -- make the most of their laughable lines. And Liotta is surprisingly funny in lunatic mode. But Leelee Sobieski, who once seemed poised for a leading-lady career, is dull as Gallian's ex-girlfriend -- who happens to be Merick's daughter and fellow sorceress.

In the Name of the King's similarities to the Rings films are so obvious (almost frame-for-frame in certain shots) that you have to wonder whether Peter Jackson will get royalties for Boll's mess. But as the second hour closes in (it's a nearly unbearable 124 minutes long), some moviegoers may find themselves laughing -- unintentionally, of course. If you don't mind movies that are so bad they're entertaining in their awfulness, this is a fine pick. Just don't say you weren't warned.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this film was influenced by The Lord of the Rings movies. In addition to the presence of John Rhys-Davies (who played Gimli in Rings and is Magus Merick here), what scenes, characters, or themes reminded you of LOTR? Do you think the similarities were intentional? Why? Also, is the violence in this movie realistic or not? Why does that matter? Does the lack of strong language and graphic violence mean this film is targeted at younger audiences?

Movie Details

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