The Wild Hunt – DVD Review

Playing a dangerous game

Release Date: 10 October 2011
2009 | 15 | 97 minutes | £15.99
Distributors: Network Releasing
Directors: Alexandre Franchi and Mark A Krupa
Cast: Ricky Mabe, Mark A. Krupa, Tiio Horn, Trevor Hayes

Using foam swords and invisible magical enchantments are the norm for Live Action Role Players, but bring in an outsider who doesn’t apply by the rules of decorum and things can get ugly.

In this Canadian film, Erik (Ricky Mab) infiltrates a LARPing camp to find his wayward girlfriend Lyn – or, as she prefers to be called, Princess Evlynia. There’s a hint of The Wicker Man as Erik is drawn into this world; he agrees to go on a “Viking quest” with his hardcore LARPing brother, Bjorn, to win the love of Lyn.

The problem with this is that Lyn (Tiio Horn) is utterly selfish and annoying; we honestly have no idea why he would go after her in the first place. However, the film does have some great qualities: lines like “No, you’re fucking dead,” always get a laugh, and can you really say no to seeing a man in full body armour take Mjolnir, the legendary hammer of Thor, from a kitchen cupboard? We didn’t think so.

Bjorn (Mark A Krupa) is the most noticeable character, thanks to his drunken and violent Viking demeanour. He’s loud, capable of wielding a foam axe on a petrol pump spouts phrases like “By Odin!”, and is just brilliant to watch. The referee of the LARP camp, Tamara (Claudia Jurt), is the complete opposite; she’s calm, talks at a normal volume, and is a sweet character. No, scratch that, she’s the only sweet character; her warm humanity is a welcome break from the depressing tone of the film.

A few scenes drag (mostly the ones with Lyn in them) and the editing is a bit scissor-happy, but the story is original and entertaining to watch. In the end, it’s obvious that things are going to go wrong, but nevertheless the last scene is unexpected and chilling. Some LARPers don’t play nice…

Extras:

Extras:

A flimsy Making Of is the centrepiece. You also get festival clips, storyboard and image galleries, a trailer, and an isolated title sequence.