Part one”. Russian competitor of “Game of Thrones”?
The laurels of “Game of Thrones”, one of the biggest series of our time, do not give a continuation to the showrunners. So in Russia they swung at the great, releasing on the domestic online platform a film based on a series of books about the internecine wars of noble houses – “Eterna: Part One”. What is it? What is “our answer”? I have already considered the picture and hasten to share my impressions.
What is “Eterna”
To date, the cycle of novels “Reflections of Eterna” includes 17 books, but is still not finished. Writer Vera Kamshi has managed to create a complex and elaborate world, a mythology that easily rivals the work of George Martin.
The plot takes place in Kartiana, one of the inhabited planets of the Necklace. The creators of Carty became the four existing, reminiscent of the mighty gods. The settlers left the planet, but managed to establish four famous houses: the Lords of Rocks, Wind, Waves and Lightning. Unfortunately, the magic turned out to be lost – at the time of the first book, none of the rulers possessed obvious supernatural abilities.
Houses are subject to the king, who rules in Taligue – one of the few states left after the Golden Empire.
As usual, Kartiana is in danger: an insatiable aggressive phenomenon is raging around the inhabited worlds – Alien. Once upon a time, the Alien was held by the chosen warriors – Guardians of the Sunset. The citadel of Eterna served as a base for them, but now it is destroyed.
People have forgotten all the prestigious legends, and the four gods are considered demons. The overlords also transformed into ordinary information, and the sentence could collapse the usurper.
As in the Game of Thrones, we will follow the numerous characters scattered across the different parts of the kingdoms. Each of them pursues their own goals and beliefs, the villain is rarely the chosen side.
Perhaps this will be enough to get a general idea of u200bu200bthe world of Eterna. Starting an in-depth study, you run the risk of drowning in terms, complex names and titles. The online platform where the film appeared, a hilarious mountain of articles explaining the rules of the world and features. But did it help?
What’s more interesting?
The plot of “Eterna: Part One”
It has long been discussed on the internet that “Part One” is just a lengthy “pilot” episode. There is logic in this – modern viewers are distrustful of Russian production, and even in the fantasy genre. For special audiences, proven exposure is the primary goal of any project series.
Over time, rumors spread that Eterna would become a film, but in several parts. The first trailer did not increase the flow – the low quality of the shooting is reminiscent of the projects of “Russia-1”.
In the end, we really have a film in front of us, which, it seems, should have a beginning, a middle, and at least some kind of ending. This is partly true. Having peeped at Major Grom: The Plague Doctor, the developers decided to start the movie with the styles of the computer scene, which is also a historical background. Despite the fact that already at this moment the thread of accumulation is easily lost: unfamiliar names, such as Robert Epinay and Richard Oakdell, return from memory.
Further more – immediately after the stylized sketches, they rush into the thick of the selection. It is not difficult to understand which of the signs is good – it is bad to wear black clothes. However, without context, important events do not affect the audience in any way. For comparison: in the “Game of Thrones” conferences did not require any special knowledge of the lore, and the abundance of names was compensated by a leisurely receipt, helping to get used to the pointers.
The plot is something like this. And it’s not a joke. The duration of the film is one and a half hours. During this time, we are thrown from hero to hero, not caring at all about explaining something.
Around the middle of the story, it still focuses on the young Duke Richard Oakdell (the guy in white), who is being trained as a squire at a secret school. Here the pace of selection is a bit, and the story becomes more highlighted and interesting. It would be worth devoting a few full hours of screen time to training, and not a miserable 30-40 minutes, but alas.
In general, the concentration of events is an emergency. Evening – a pause in mid-sentence. give us a cool cliffanger, but don’t expect the film’s logical conclusion. It would be nice in a protocol format, but a complete failure for getting a movie.
The plot of Eterna: Part One feels like a tasteless mess and cheap tracing paper with projects (the exiled prince sends his regards to Daenerys). The potential was caught, but the refusal of the episodes ruined everything in the bud. Of course, that the continuation, if it is in the same format, it is possible to somehow correct the situation.
Characters and actors in “Eterna: Part One”
For such a short film, Eterna has an incredible amount of possibilities. A kaleidoscope of faces makes you constantly pause events in order to figure out who is who.
Only a few heroes are really memorable: the already mentioned young prince Richard Oakdell, the last Lord of Lightning Robert Epinay, the young prince, servant Robert, and Roque Alva – a stern man in black, a kind of love fruit of Severus Snape and Gosha Kutsenko. All other characters are functions that take up screen time with automatic dialogues.
Richard is definitely positive. For the entire film, he will not commit a single bad deed, and the level of conscience will go off scale. However, it’s not worth the wait. The guy’s desires are simple and straightforward, even after going through difficult training, he practically does not change.
Robert and the script are more interesting. The man is an experienced warrior. He knows when to use force and when to hold back. The prince, on the contrary, is impulsive, he is drawn into battle, but he is not interested in the consequences. Unfortunately, their relationship development is too little time. In my opinion, Robert is the most interesting character in the picture. His communication with the ward particles is a cross between the friendship of Daenerys and Jorah Mormont and the revelations of Geralt and Ciri.
Roque Alva only ignites in two scenes, but that’s enough to keep things interesting. Perhaps the actor was best caught in the image, in the opinion of a terrible and mysterious man, whose true goals were discovered. It is a pity that little time was devoted to Alva’s film.
There are almost no complaints about the performance of young actors. Some lack experience, but everyone tries, which is very noticeable and pleasant. It seems as if many of them have already lost the habit of filming a movie, devoting all the time to the theater. Sometimes you will notice replays, bombastic recitations of life, mundane singsong lines and pictorial movements that don’t occur in reality. Many actors are recognized masters of their craft, so this behavior in Eterna raises questions.
Graphics and artwork in Eterna: Part One
Unfortunately, the film looks cheap. It is allowed in 4K format, so all the flaws are evident. The painted cities are soapy and unnatural. It feels like looking at the graphics of a fifteen year old video game.
Decorations are no better. You will always feel the artificiality of the environment. Scenes are revealed close to the plot, and move the camera a little further – the cardboard walls will end, a pavilion will appear. The effect is effective due to obvious errors in the flowers – sometimes the quality of green chroma-keys is on the faces. All this destroys the creation and looks carelessly.
But the costumes of all the characters are excellent. Quality clothes and clothes. You probably know that you may be of great importance to a wide range of people. I would like to say a few words about the fights. The film has a large-scale battle and paraduel with swords. Everything is always extremely realistic – muskets reload and weigh a lot, bordering on a difficult surface with pikemen, a sword can be intercepted by the blade.
If you write really cool, then the scale is again a problem. Lack of budget is one of the legitimate battles in the rebirth of a dozen soldiers. Calling it a real battle is a stretch.
***
There was a lot of potential in Eterna: Part One, which was ruined by a controversial format and an unclear where the budget was spent. Choose the creators of the script format – we would have a great project in front of us, which has great development.
The novelty is perhaps only the most zealous fans who have long been aware of all the names and events. The casual viewer quickly discovers the thread of the mass collection, drowning in a sea of terms and names. Of course, you can read 5-6 articles about knowledge, but then why watch a movie?
Liked “Eterna: Part One”?