Tri-vid review: Revolution's Fire7/11/3132
INN - Interstellar News Network
There have been many documentaries and biographies of Devlin Stone’s life – those
aspects of it that are documented, at least – but all have been dry and humorless
recitations of dates and facts. Revolution’s Fire doesn’t just break this mold, it
shatters it, finally presenting the larger-than-life character in a format that does his life
justice. Revolution’s Fire is an epic movie, in the same vein as Hero’s Trial, Ferris’
flawed 29th century biopic of Aleksandr Kerensky. Like that film, it tells the story of
the events that have shaped the modern universe while remaining an intensely personal
story.
As with all tales of Stone’s life, it begins on Kittery in Word of Blake reeducation
camp RBMU 105, showing in harrowing detail the suffering imposed by the Blakist
zealots that drove Stone (played with gritty intensity by Jackson Kieslowski) onward.
The tale then moves on to Stone’s first meeting with David Lear (Tudor Reese
successfully playing against type with the appropriate gravity—this is a landmark
performance), their escape from the camp, and the establishment of the Kittery
prefecture. The battle scenes are some of the most intense ever committed to tri-vid,
largely recreated from gun-camera footage from the actual battles. Audiences raised
on the sanitized violence of the Immortal Warrior series or the Joe Merc show may
find the scenes harrowing, but interviews with veterans of Stone’s campaigns testify
to the authenticity of the battle sequences. The last third of the vid takes a slower
pace, detailing the political, economic and military aspects of the Republic’s formation.
Even at three hours, Revolution’s Fire struggles to cover every aspect of Stone’s life
but director Luc Samuels and writer Amandine Jeunet have skillfully woven their
story around the most important elements. Historical purists may argue with the
choices – for example, Stone’s meeting with Victor Steiner-Davion and his wife gets
only a brief nod while his confrontation with Sun-Tzu Liao gets a full fifteen minutes
– but all serve to drive the story forward. Samuels admits that some of the events
shown in the vid, such as the romance between Stone and Lin Murakami (the
beguiling Nathalie Ito), are largely dramatic license based on little or no historical
information. Though noticeable to students of Reformation history, these fictional
elements serve to create a cohesive narrative that draws viewers in and keeps them
absorbed for the entire movie.
Overall, Revolution’s Fire is an enthralling, thrilling and moving vid that will appeal to
a broad range of audiences. Highly recommended.
INN - Interstellar News Network
There have been many documentaries and biographies of Devlin Stone’s life – those
aspects of it that are documented, at least – but all have been dry and humorless
recitations of dates and facts. Revolution’s Fire doesn’t just break this mold, it
shatters it, finally presenting the larger-than-life character in a format that does his life
justice. Revolution’s Fire is an epic movie, in the same vein as Hero’s Trial, Ferris’
flawed 29th century biopic of Aleksandr Kerensky. Like that film, it tells the story of
the events that have shaped the modern universe while remaining an intensely personal
story.
As with all tales of Stone’s life, it begins on Kittery in Word of Blake reeducation
camp RBMU 105, showing in harrowing detail the suffering imposed by the Blakist
zealots that drove Stone (played with gritty intensity by Jackson Kieslowski) onward.
The tale then moves on to Stone’s first meeting with David Lear (Tudor Reese
successfully playing against type with the appropriate gravity—this is a landmark
performance), their escape from the camp, and the establishment of the Kittery
prefecture. The battle scenes are some of the most intense ever committed to tri-vid,
largely recreated from gun-camera footage from the actual battles. Audiences raised
on the sanitized violence of the Immortal Warrior series or the Joe Merc show may
find the scenes harrowing, but interviews with veterans of Stone’s campaigns testify
to the authenticity of the battle sequences. The last third of the vid takes a slower
pace, detailing the political, economic and military aspects of the Republic’s formation.
Even at three hours, Revolution’s Fire struggles to cover every aspect of Stone’s life
but director Luc Samuels and writer Amandine Jeunet have skillfully woven their
story around the most important elements. Historical purists may argue with the
choices – for example, Stone’s meeting with Victor Steiner-Davion and his wife gets
only a brief nod while his confrontation with Sun-Tzu Liao gets a full fifteen minutes
– but all serve to drive the story forward. Samuels admits that some of the events
shown in the vid, such as the romance between Stone and Lin Murakami (the
beguiling Nathalie Ito), are largely dramatic license based on little or no historical
information. Though noticeable to students of Reformation history, these fictional
elements serve to create a cohesive narrative that draws viewers in and keeps them
absorbed for the entire movie.
Overall, Revolution’s Fire is an enthralling, thrilling and moving vid that will appeal to
a broad range of audiences. Highly recommended.
| July 11, 3132 |