Bringing a fine adventure to home theaters on Blu-ray and DVD, Justin and the Knights of Valor is perfect for the whole family. The fun action flick has excellent animation in the realm of How to Train Your Dragon, very good voice acting and a story of a boy becoming a man and a hero to boot. Not just for boys, this little animated film reaches out to female children as well with a bold courageous sidekick that shares this fine quest.
The tale takes place in the Kingdom of Gabilonia long ago where things have changed and new laws are creating unrest for the people. The lawyer Reginald makes a pact with the Queen who loses her husband the King in a sword fight with one of his followers. She appoints him her personal consul. The pack banishes all Knights from the kingdom and places Justice Officers in the village to uphold the laws. Very strict, the villagers are becoming wary of this new government.
This brings us to Justin a young teen who’s about to make a big choice in life, becoming a lawyer like his father Reginald or a Knight like his Granddad Sir Roland. His father is adamant that he follow in his footsteps, but Justin finds solace in his grandmother the widow of the finest Knight that ever lived. Just when Justin’s about to choose his father’s path a threat on Gabilonia by the banished knight Heraclio gets discovered and reported to the Queen. When Justin’s grandmother gives him Sir Roland’s secret key and tells him to bring it to the Tower of Wisdom, he sets off on the adventure of a lifetime to become a Knight and impress the lovely Lara.
Along the way he meets some very likeable characters including the strong willed Talia, a Knight instructor Sir Blucher, a fledgling wizard with a duel personality Merquiades, a fidgety Friar Braulio, a daunting ex-armor polisher Sir Clorex and a crocodile “dragon” named Gustav. The humorous characters add a lot of fun to the film, especially for the younger children. There’s also Justin’s adversaries that pop up to challenge his quest to become a knight including, Soto and his brothers, his horse Skipper, and of course Heraclio the arch nemesis of the film.
Writer/Director Manuel Sicilia does a very good job of keeping attention of the youngsters by introducing new characters. He gives Justin some twists and turns to navigate and creates a lot of action during Justin’s training and later his facing off against the foes. He uses the same kind of animation that several recent releases have used, especially How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2, and Despicable Me 1 & 2. Using soft big eyed characters with likeable facial features and not so scary antagonists he puts the film in the laps of the whole family.
The story has some very good values that include friendship, searching out goals, dealing with problems and transitioning from boyhood to becoming an adult. Heroism develops within Justin as he travels to become a Knight and he thinks of others before himself. He turns his purpose into saving the ones he loves no matter what the danger. Justin even shows his romantic side as he becomes conflicted due to his original promise to the charming Lara and the friendship with quick witted and daring Talia, bringing about another choice he has to make in life.
One of the funniest characters in the film is the Queen’s Armor Polisher voiced by Antonio Bandaras. Every day he cleans the metal uniforms he longs to be a Knight so he can champion damsels in distress. Sneaking out of the castle he ends up at a Pub where Talia tends bar. When he’s asked his name he gives Sir Clorex. He’s a very funny character who finds himself knee deep in trouble with both Justin and Heraclio.
The Blu-ray has a special called “The Making of” and features most of the main stars including Antonio Bandaras (Puss and Boots), Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel), Saoirse Ronan (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Alfred Molina (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), Charles Dance (Labyrinth), Rupert Everett (Shrek The 3rd) and Mark Strong (Zero Dark Thirty). Director and writer Manuel Sicilia talks about the technical end and the actors describe their roles.
Justine and the Knights of Valor has been rated PG by the MPAA for mild action and some rude humor. You may want to watch the film with the older kids before allowing under age four see the film, especially those that are very timid.
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Freddie Highmore, Antonio Banderas, James Cosmo, Charles Dance, Tamsin Egerton, Rupert Everett, Barry Humphries, Alfred Molina, Mark Strong, David Williams, Julie Walters, Olivia Williams and Saoirse Ronan
- Director: Manuel Sicilia
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family
- Running Time: 1 hr 30 min
- Video Release Date: July 22, 2014
- Language: English
- Format: Blu-ray/DVD
- Audio: Blu-ray- DTS-HD 5.1, DVD- Dolby Digital 5.1
- Video: 16X9 Widescreen
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Number of Discs: 1 Disc
- Distributed by: Arc Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
