WATCH THE TRAILERS HERE & HERE
First, the Recap:
The quest for power. It’s a never-ending cycle in the world, more so when something OF great significance and ability to shape things both presently and into the future are in play. Soon, all those who either covet the desire to control and rule over everything or otherwise wish to see things become better for everyone involved collide through a frenzy of actions aimed at making said objectives the reality that wins. In a twist of fate and pre-determined events, the prophet Elijah (Johnson Wilkinson) has become less than he used to be in attitude, turning rogue and assuming the identity of an earthly pirate, Pilate, to locate and re-claim his beloved and mighty Cloak of Miracles. With other parties likewise wanting the mantle he seeks, Elijah faces a new, unexpected adversary in the form of a young and frustrated believer, Kai (Louis Levi), who chooses to find the cloak and ideally see things changed on Earth for good by seeing a worshipped but fallen King and Soothsayer (Thomas Thoroe) brought back to life again.
Next, my Mind:
It’s an eccentric, definitively genre-bending, fancifully adventurous, borderline nostalgic exercise in indie cinema that, for this critic, best describes the now-relatively older (meaning originating back in 2013) feature film effort from writer/director/producer Lewis Critchley plus associate producers Alan Critchley, Peter Critchley, Noel Critchley, and Brenda Critchley, which for all its 80’s TV movie sensibility, tone, and overall visual execution, does carry a strangely innocent but undeniably quirky quality of fun and engaging dramatic whimsey that befits the tale being told that ultimately boils down to the ever-indulged core of good vs. evil. While utilizing characters and a foundational story that are clearly and transparently based on both well-established Biblical ones and concepts, the clear deviations from said source materials are intentional, coming from a more imagined, even virtually mythological approach as opposed to blatant faith-based fact or gist.
The narrative that sees a young boy’s confrontation with dark forces, his own skewed beliefs and doubts, and a jaded prophet looking to re-possess a valued article of clothing that could tip the balance of authority and power-base on Earth as well as within the Divine supernatural realms might cause a slight stir amongst those who specifically claim Christianity as their faith (this critic will freely confess to being from that particular viewpoint himself) given again that the nature of several of the people and instances the film covers as its baseline story are, as mentioned above, taken FROM that faith yet honestly not intended to MAINTAIN the written actuality of them as laid out in the Bible, but rather utilize them for the sake of fantasy and entertainment. Granted, some might see this as total heretical action, but folks, this is a FICTIONAL film that chose to use certain Biblical principals and events for its direction. I don’t feel ANY disingenuous intent here.
There were points while watching that, admittedly, it generally started to lose me a bit, only in that some of the film’s pacing, dialogue delivery, and SFX imagery was showing its lower budget heritage, but looking beyond this to grander thematic forays that I felt were being explored, I was able to do my best to get past the faults and witness a story that actually ends up adeptly addressing (funny enough) FAITH, the challenges OF belief, WHAT we believe in, WHY we believe in it, the fractured notions ABOUT things when they have gone astray and there seems to be no hope, the immediacy of those with diabolical intentions attempt to take advantage of or correct what IS good to suit their own nefarious purposes, the vanity of some who crave only their own satisfaction and self (lust for greed or power) rather than the greater good, how flawed we ARE as human beings, but yet totally redeemable, and the portraits of TRIUMPH but also the cost of it.
It’s not JUST some black and white depiction of how we CAN persevere through adversity, but rather that to do so means having to sometimes endure pain, frustrations, disbelief, crisis of conscious or soul, and a willingness to find a way THROUGH it all that ends up leading us TO the victory we seek., despite the choices we must ascertain and move forward with seeming impossible. As I did hint at above, the acting here was a very mixed bag for me, even taking into account the greater reality of the sheer fact this IS indie cinema and I will never put my expectations TOO high above what I have come to anticipate from more grass-roots to mid-level projects. This was a movie founded on an ensemble cast, and considering the whole, they all did well enough together to allow for a solid set of performances that DO fit what we are witnessing, even when certain instances just felt emotionally forced a bit for the deeper credibility I would prefer.
Levi’s Kai is a character to root for, though when we first meet him, it is left up to us to determine whether he really IS someone to pull for or potentially be agitated with because of his initially blasé demeanor and hesitations about the journey he must take, and Levi does bring this out effectively. Wilkinson’s Elijah/Pilate is likewise done decently, a man of faith whose particular distinction in the annals of Biblical history have since become more of a severe burden for him rather than a blessing, causing him to basically rebel against everything he’s believed in in order to retrieve something solely for himself. A pirate ship’s captain, Paul Sugars‘ Baxter is another almost anti-hero, a very reluctant soul simply attempting to avoid the fate that darker powers are wishing to bestow upon him, and who’s therefore forced to become the one to aid Kai in the quest for the Mantle. Sugar’s deadpan delivery for lines that actually do have a humorous undertone to them is well done, but yet I felt almost TOO muted and melodramatic at times.
Huggy Leaver‘s Gruesome (even though he quite emphatically corrects people that’s it’s really pronounced GRISSOME) is a former cremate of Baxter’s who’s chosen his own path to avoid the coming apocalyptic tragedy on the horizon if things don’t get undermined by others, out for his own ends and potential use of the Mantle. His parter in this, at first, is Unshar (Amed Hashimi), also a former cremate of Baxter’s, who may yet be someone else having his own agenda as to whom he chooses to serve, possibly to his deep detriment. Eaoifa Forward is Anfisa, Kai’s long-suffering mother who does her level best to keep her son on the path that is needed, even at the peril of her own safety in doing so. Andrew McHale is Portould, Elijah/Pilate’s primary henchman sent to aid Gruesome in ensuring retrieval of the Mantle as well as other precious artifacts key to their survival. Tayo Oyekoya plays Maleck, Elijah/Pilate’s brother, a shadowy figure bent in helping to bring much suffering to the Earth and punishing those who resist.
Harry Meacher is Meguine, ruler of the Land of Fires who wishes to rule his not-so-currently-inflamed kingdom through his own gaining of the Mantle and other items of potent strength. Andreia Aguiar is Maru, Meguine’s daughter who seems to share her father’s dark plans but may have a change of heart once having met Baxter. Thoroe plays the King/Soothsayer (effectively, the Christ figure here) whose initially had the fate he was destined for but has since risen again as foretold and who tries to be the fount of wisdom to Kai to help win the day for good over evil. Raymond Coker appears as The Sphinx, who could be a resurrected Pharaoh desiring to also accomplish a win in the power struggle occurring, though his chances are put into question when having a run-in with Maleck. Additional appearances are made by Luke Reed and Joshua Mark Batsford. As stated prior, the cast does mesh together cohesively. I just think I wanted a tad more believability at times from them.
So, in total, “The Lost Mantle of Elijah” is at its beating heart the essence of indie film, which already speaks volumes in itself for this critic in knowing how much blood, sweat, and tears it takes to simply MAKE a film a reality and then have the courage and boldness to put it out there for the world to judge. There ARE highly relevant messages to be gleaned from the story, a degree of entertainment that is unequivocally present, and just the passion behind every aspect of it, faults and all, that does justice to all those both on screen and behind the scenes that made it happen. It wasn’t a favorite film of mine, but by no means will I just utterly dismiss something even when it may not strike me as much as I wish it would or could have. I fully applaud the effort and the successes the film has had over the years and may Critchley & Co. never lose sight of improvement where it can be made and the stalwart dedication to see independent film keep RISING.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
