17 Apr The Dead Lands Review

Where the Warrior Spirit was Born

This week’s Friday Flix features an action-packed film that explores the unique culture of the Maori tribe. Set in pre-colonial New Zealand, The Dead Lands follows a young boy, Hongi, seeking revenge after his tribe and father were brutally murdered. Greatly outnumbered by a tribe of vicious savages, Hongi must enter the forbidden Dead Lands in hopes of killing Wirepa, the leader of the villains. Hongi devises an alliance with the seemingly dangerous cannibal in order to honor his Maori ancestors and hunt down Wirepa. With the dead on their side, they are no longer an outnumbered duo.

Filmed solely in the Maori language, director Toa Fraser depicts the Maori people and their traditions with great respect to the living and dead. Viewers are taken into a primal world of bloody battles fought by bare-chested warriors determined to kill. Although Fraser demonstrates an exaggerated physical appearance for these blood thirsty warriors with facial tattoos, piercings, and dreadlock mohawks, he never seems to mock the culture. Instead, he simply portrays them this way to create a more captivating visual appearance, making it a film that any fantasy-adventure fan would enjoy.

Watch The Dead Lands on FlixFling now.

This guest blog was written by Breelyn Starrett.