The Dead Lands is a supernatural adventure. It is set in the mythic Maori past with characters that resemble warriors of some of the pacific island nations. While it is a work of fiction like most fantasy horror, this one brings forth a good measure of originality. Nicely acted with high definition cinematography, and direction that does a good job of bringing the story to Digital HD.
In the first episode “Tell the dead I’m Coming” we are introduced to Waka Nuku Rau who finds himself in the land of the dead after a fatal fight with a violent occupant of the dead lands. He then has to make a choice of staying in the hell hole or completing a challenge that will transport him back into the world of the living. He chooses to help Mehe a living person who wants to save her village. When the village gets raided by the undead and her father, who is the chief, gets taken, it will be up to Waka and Mehe to save the villagers from total ruin. The action gets pretty raw with several long scenes of bloody violence.
The whole series of 9 one hour episodes revolves around Waka and Mehe as they continue their adventure to defeat the dead and bring peace to the land of the living. As the story progresses we get to know more about the world of the dead, and the people who occupy the living.
The following is a list of the episodes that are in Season One “Tell the Dead I’m Coming”, “The Sins of the Father”, “The Kingdom at the Edge of the World”, “The Exorcism of the Boy”, “Generational Warfare”, “A Question of Identity”, “Broken Promises”, and the final closing episode of Season One “The Sacrifice of Innocence”.
Playing the role of Waka Nuku Rau is Te Kohe Tuhaka who played the role of Wirepa in the original movie The Dead Lands. He brings his A game to the series with a fierce depiction of the dead warrior Waka who has to complete the task he has chosen in order to rejoin the living. He uses his brawn and agility to show Waka’s power to resist attack and to take down anyone who stands in his way of saving Mehe and her village.
Making the role of Mehe a winner, newcomer Raukura Turei puts on a show with her frenzied attacks and cunning escapes. She has to keep Waka on point or she will never save her chieftain father and the rest of her village. The more the two fight together their relationship becomes more of a marriage at odds, never being able to satisfy each other by accomplishing the tasks they set out to complete.
The Dead Lands series is not rated by the TV rating board, but think TV-MA for mature viewers. It has a lot of bloody violence, some nudity and language. The series was filmed in New Zealand and was originally shown on AMC Networks “Shudder” and TV New Zealand. It is available on Digital HD.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good series for those who like a different kind of adventure and gamers. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Te Kohe Tuhaka
Created by: Glenn Standring
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
TV Rating: Not Rated, think Mature, contains bloody violence, some nudity and language.
Running Time: Each of the 8 episodes is an hour long.
Opening Date: June 8, 2020
Distributed by: AMC Shudder
Released in: Digital HD
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
