Albion: The Enchanted Stallion

source: Albion: The Enchanted Stallion

I quite liked it, but I usually like most fairytale films.. sure, it's no masterpiece, plenty of flaws and you can tell this film didn't have the highest budget, (the make up in particular is horrendous) but all in all an entertaining, adventurous fairytale film. There was one thing that really bothered me though: Debra Messing. Oh boy was that a big casting mistake! She was nowhere near an Irish or Scottish, or whatever she was going for, accent. She painfully destroyed every scene she was in. Other than that - great fun!

A suggestion to the "movie critics" here: when you intentionally choose to watch a film made for children and younger teens, it's a little goofy to rate it low because it turns out to be a film for children and young teens-- and doesn't meet your personal expectations of cerebral cinema. Seriously. This is a terrific film that is well-written, well-directed, and above all well-acted. Every actor in this film pulls of his/her part with the perfect mixture of seriousness and humor. From the heroine to the rather horrid General (ugh, Cleese pulled that off abhorrently well), every role in this was nicely played. Liam McIntyre nearly stole the show as the evil henchman... except the other actors were quite good as well. It would be a mistake to take this film too seriously. It was obviously intended as a dark comedy for the younger set. Young and teenage girls will likely love the horse theme. But older ones of both genders might appreciate the humor, the morality play, the story-lesson, and overall quality of the movie. Is it perfect? No of course not. If one expected perfection going in, that would be somewhat delusional. Ranting at a kid's film for being a kid's film is one of those duh things. This is exactly what it's presented to be, achieved its goal, and was enjoyable all the way through. The ending was somewhat predictable and cliche, but was anyone really expecting anything different? Overall this is a decent family film and a fun watch.

6 July 2017. Ablion holds up pretty well as a dazzling, colorful children's fantasy adventure. The landscapes are among the most vividly striking ever for a fantasy with standout colors that broadcast faraway and amazing places. Quite breathtaking. The storyline is predictable as most such fantasies must be nowadays, but this one has evolved a tad bit making it distinctive in continuing to set a slightly new bar for layered characters. Two big distractions that take away some of the enjoyment factor are John Cleese's performance in his first appearance where is indomitable character is a bit too cheesy and perhaps so improvised comedy that it breaks the tone of the movie and later one there are some uncharacteristic lapses in the accompanying music that genuinely make the movie seem raggedly powerless and weak. The distinctive characteristic of Albion is that director takes some risks in balancing the drama and comedy that collide with each other threatening to make this movie into a dumb screwball comedy (like the short-lived awkward fantasy-musical television series Galavant, 2015-2016) but somehow never quite succeeding thankfully. Overall, the sound track, the luscious and ethereal music, the decent acting, and the enriched most mature storyline for children contribute to retaining the audience interest.

Imagine a Disney Channel Original Movie with a level of absurdity that I thought was impossible outside of a made for TV from the 80's. No cliché is beneath this movie. The closest thing to a spoiler I can give you is that if you see something coming and dismiss it because it sounds like something a child would write-it will happen. This movie is so bad it's good, and watching it is an experience that I would never give up.

Surprisingly well acted family film. Excellent acting from John Cleese. Entertaining, magical plot which was moving in places. All in all very worth watching for all the family from youngsters to us older folk. We all really enjoyed it. This film speaks to the part of us that wishes to know that,'other' world in a similar way that many famous magical films do.

I wasn't entirely sure about this movie on Netflix, but I was so happy I was surprised! It was very well acted, humorous, and an amazing storyline! Will watch again!

I watched this movie for Daniel Sharman, and ended up watching it several times because it was entertaining, and it has a good message. It's a bit silly in parts, but thoroughly enjoyable. It should have a much higher rating. The characters were great and dialogue was entertaining. I recommend it.

I have long complained of the lack of truly great films in the last several years. There have been countless popular films that are entirely devoid of creativity that play to the audience's ignorance and basest nature. Films rife with titillation for the sake of selling tickets, a level of gore well beyond what is necessary to tell the story, stories that are weaker than wet paper, beautiful actors who can memorize lines but are unable to actually act. Albion is not one of those. I got the film for my children expecting to be bored, sickened by the heavy-handed message, or irritated by an insipid production. I was so completely glad to be wrong. The film is visually stunning in many parts. The story is simple, relying on fantasy, fable, and myth for character archetypes as well as storyline. Refreshingly, the villain is not misunderstood or a shade of grey, he's just plain bad and the heroes are good. It is a movie about hope, redemption, and love conquering all. Albion will be part of our family video library. If you are one of those people who think obvious plot twists are clever, think that concepts of Good and Bad are trite, or believe that the world should be seen in shades of grey, this movie is not for you.

It has the ingredients of magic, hope, love, humor and fantasy. It is not a movie for those who only enjoy very real and/or violent movies. The story is entertaining, takes you a magical place and it is not scary in the slightest. Again, it is a family tale for all ages. If you are looking for a nice fun easy moment, you shall have it