SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
Drifting through a dystopian world, Jovan (played by Igor Bencina) is on a desperate quest to find his sister Marija (Marta Bjelica) who has been kidnapped by a local warlord. A group of innocent townfolk just trying to stay alive amidst the chaos around them agree to help, taking him to a ceremony in which Andjelija (Isidora Simijonovic), a bride, will choose her husband from a group of men. Whichever candidate is tough enough to withstand an attack by the bride’s brother wins her hand. Seeing the competition and knowing Jovan is at a disadvantage, his handler invokes “the hammer,” buying them time to get a quick plan together while the brother fetches a bigger weapon. When the brother is shot before dealing the probably-fatal blow, Jovan grabs Andjelija and heads to the vehicle they arrived in. Kidnapping/Saving her sets in motion the series of events that will lead him to his missing sister. But is he too late?
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
While it gets massive props for set design, costumes and location scouting, there are three major problems with WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND. The first being the score. It’s so over-the-top loud that it not only drowns out dialogue but it’s frequently inappropriate for the vibe of the moment. As we’ve learned with films like STAR WARS, JURASSIC PARK and INCEPTION, the musical score is such an integral part of the cinematic experience that it can make or break the audience’s impression. In this case, it breaks it.
The second is the choice of telling stories within stories within stories. The film starts out with a saloon scene where two strangers are forced to tell where they came from. That launches a flashback sequence but, during it, we’re shown a flashback explaining where that character came from. Then, about 40 minutes in, the bride notices Jovan never talks about himself which leads to yet another flashback, this time of his origin story.
The third major issue is the over use of sound effects. Sure, you have the sound of metal as swords are being unsheathed but that’s a common occurrence that we’re numb to as audience members. In WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND, we’ve got obnoxiously loud punches, weapons that don’t sync up with their contact and machinery that makes unnecessarily aggressive noise.
(There could be a fourth and that’s the use of AI to help create images and landscapes. But, in fairness to the filmmakers, that’s assumed, not verified, so final judgement on that unforgivable sin is being withheld.)
WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND is what happens when you give an amateur filmmaker, who’s a super fan of the MAD MAX and BOOK OF ELI movies, a multi-million dollar budget and say “go make a movie.” The acting is weak, the story is confusing and the score is so unbalanced that it’s constantly distracting. The only thing saving it is the set design, costumes and location scouting, all of which deserve pretty high praise.
JKG SCORE: 4.0 out of 10
NOTE: Depending on where you look, this film is also known as SON’S WILL or SWORD OF VENGEANCE or WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND.
Untitled Film Project 