Rating: On the 0-Christmas scale this gets Gandolf is Santa
IMDB rated it 4.7/10
Hold the fellowship, this little low budget gem is a fantastic blend of Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Willow, and the Santa Claus.
Rest assured, the ever snuggly Mordor is replaced with scenic views of Utah in this home-state cinematic masterpiece that must have cost dollars. The film does contain Ogors (looking suprisingly realistic to Orcs from the best trilogy ever made–sorry Back to the Future–you shall not pass LOTR) and Goblins, and a shady character that in today’s world would be investigated for hanging out with small children.
Complete with stars Bailee Michelle Johnson, Paris Warner, and David DeVilliers these completely unknown names are on the up-and-up having acted in a combined 10 independent and low-rated movies
Utah residents will surely recognize the Jordan River and other locations, but they are not as they seem. Creatures lurk beneath and all about.
This little independent flick is getting unfair treatment with an IMDB rating of 4.7/10. What is more compelling that a bunch of orphans meeting a bunch of strangers, finding a dragon, and then saving Christmas? Sure, the tie in to Christmas didn’t make sense in the least bit, but the kids loved it, and I thought it was surprisingly good. If your expectations are that this will be the level of quality of the Helm’s Deep scenes in LOTR (my favorite movie scenes of all-time) then you should shelf this movie and watch Shark-nado or something far worse, and with your lowered expectations, come back and enjoy this adventure fantasy flick.
Bottom line: If you have kids with imaginations, this is a good one!
