What is that you say? A Warhammer 40k movie? That cannot be true, but it is!So, this movie really doesn't exist, at least officially, but it is by far and away one of the best made fan-films I have ever seen. I do not know what the official reasoning was for Games Workshop to not allow the fan-film, but they did place a stop on the makers from releasing it. It is too bad too because the film is actually very good.
I have seen a number of fan-films, including comedies such as 'Troops', which if you haven't seen it you really should if you like Star Wars as it is great, to more polished films such as those in the 'Animatrix'. Troops was a phenomenal short film(I think it was like 10 minutes), and the Animatrix stuff was helped in large part by studio involvement. But the Damnatus film, and I DO mean film as it clocks in at nearly two hours of story and film, is purely awesome. This is because of the amount of effort on the story, the set design, costumes and characters.
Story: The overall story is one of the Inquisition involvement in a Chaos cult. The Inquisition engages the assistance of on site mercenaries that soon find themselves embroiled in a plot that is really beyond their ability to handle. I don't want to give too much away, but the story is very well thought out and planned for a serious feature length film. 4.5 of 5 stars!
Set Design: WOW.. I mean WOW. the work done on the set designs is great. It really does provide a feeling of HUGE hive cites with 100s of levels to them. From the bright upper levels to the lower murky, creepy, levels. It is great. This is accomplished by both real life sets and artwork that is melded together for a seamless design. 5 of 5 stars!
Costumes: This is again in the same category as the set design. You can see serious involvement in the details that make each costume feel authentic to the style that is Warhammer 40k. This doesn't look like a bunch of kids working on a small budget with a handy-cam, but a serious studio style budget and plan. 5 of 5 stars!
Characters: Another big win here. I know that is no surprise, but it really does create people you can really like. You feel concerned for them in dangerous situations and are surprised when one falls. It also provides a feeling of the game itself where an elite unit of specialists can overcome insurmountable odds to attain victory. Honestly, this movie's characters have me itching to play 'Dark Heresy' now. 5 of 5 stars!
So overall I would give this film 4.75 of 5 stars. It is a great film, and really did deserve for everyone to see.
Last thoughts, if you happen to get a chance to see this, or have see this film, count yourself lucky! I would love to hear your thoughts on the movie and how you would have reviewed it as well.
