A real, honest to goodness 40K movie has been a long time coming. This is a genuine, if short, glimpse into the far future, where there is only WAR ;) The biggest hurdle that the crew have to overcome is that 40K is huge. Over 20 years in creation, there is more back-story in the word "Ultramarine" than they can fit into a single 70 film. So, in a brave move, they don't try. These Ultramarines are kick-ass soldiers with big armour and bigger guns. The rest of it is implied and there are enough queues for fans, without boring everyone else to death by explaining it explicitly. Even "Chaos" is skimmed over, apart from being the bad guys and "like us once". I think the only time the Emperor gets mentioned is as "Emperor protects".
The Dan Abnett story is a simple, but well told one. It's actually a fairly good representation of a few linked 40K games, which is a good start. The animation works fairly well, if a little stilted at times. The voices are fairly well acted and mostly fit the faces. Although I did think that the veteran Marines looked rather old; the newly-promoted Novices looked ready for battle, but the Captain and Apothecary seemed too old for running around a desert with a bolter.
I enjoyed this. I think it's a good window on the 40K universe, although I naturally wish it could be longer, deeper, more involved. It's a little cheesy in places, but certainly no more so than many action movies. The "Collector's Edition" is OK; the added prequel graphic novella is a nice intro as to why a squad is on the world. £25 may be a little steep, but I'm a hobby obsessive, so I don't mind paying for a nice package. And I guess that if they make money on it, more may follow.
The Dan Abnett story is a simple, but well told one. It's actually a fairly good representation of a few linked 40K games, which is a good start. The animation works fairly well, if a little stilted at times. The voices are fairly well acted and mostly fit the faces. Although I did think that the veteran Marines looked rather old; the newly-promoted Novices looked ready for battle, but the Captain and Apothecary seemed too old for running around a desert with a bolter.
I enjoyed this. I think it's a good window on the 40K universe, although I naturally wish it could be longer, deeper, more involved. It's a little cheesy in places, but certainly no more so than many action movies. The "Collector's Edition" is OK; the added prequel graphic novella is a nice intro as to why a squad is on the world. £25 may be a little steep, but I'm a hobby obsessive, so I don't mind paying for a nice package. And I guess that if they make money on it, more may follow.