I found "Nyoka and the Lost Amulet of Vultura" on the Retromedia TV Roku Channel. It's an ad-supported channel, so a true no cost way to watch genre movies.
The Nyoka character in this film is said to be the descendant of the character by the same name who headlines a 1942 serial. That serial was 15 episodes and had a budget of $175,000, according to IMDB. According to the trivia, this 2014 released "sequel" is actually comprised of 3 shorter films and a new footage. The editing and continuity are clean enough that I would not have guessed this fact from watching. The newer film's budget is also estimated at $5000. It still amazes me how video and ultra-indie productions have changed movie budgets. $5000 is likely more than I spent in the end on "Jack vs Lanterns", and definitely more than I spent on either "Alien Vengeance" feature. (I actually worked it out so that we saved on flights for Debbie Rochon by flying her in for her scenes in both movies just once and she shot most of her sequences over a weekend, so we were able to split those costs over both budgets.)
Back to Nyoka. The producers worked hard at keeping the production similar in tone to the original adventure serial, although as a feature the cliffhangers play out a little less dramatically and there seemed to be too few. (The original likely would have had seven in the same time span.) Important elements, however, were kept, such as Satan the gorilla, still portrayed by a "Gorilla Man". I'm glad they kept that specific effect retro since much else was done with CG. The computer generated F/X quality was of varying degrees, but none of it was "bad". Some of it was pretty impressive.
Nicola Rae did an excellent job portraying the smart mouthed, capable adventurer, Nyoka. I was actually disappointed to see that she only has one other IMDB credit. I think she could add some flare to other independent productions.
Chris Casteel lends his talents as both Gurson, one of the explorers who helps provide some exposition and as the man in the gorilla suit portraying Satan. I feel like the ape suit could have been helped a bit by lighting, but overall it's impressive as a throwback to a an era when gorillas were almost exclusively portrayed by men in costume. Angles and camera work can also make or break an onscreen monster, even a gorilla, and this is proven by one particular in which Satan charges, which for me stood out among the rest of his appearances. He really came across as threatening for those moments of screen time.
Pierce Knightly and Nancy Krayer turn in appropriately over the top campy performances as The Crimson Skull and Congo Kate, respectively.
The supporting cast is capable.
The video and audio tracks are pretty clean with some shaky camera work here and there. That's mostly noticeable because it's more "modern" than the locked down cameras of the 40s. The score was reminiscent of the type heard in old serials and jungle movies, which added to the nostalgia.
The plot is also pretty typical for these types of movies, so it will certainly seem a bit "corny" to modern audiences, especially if they've never seen an old serial.
My suggest for this one? If you're a fan of old serials and jungle flicks, give it a watch whenever. If not, look for some old Public Domain serials and/or jungle movies and watch them first. Then top it all off with this modern adaptation of the genre and style. "Cape TV" on Roku is a good place to find serials for free and try Tanget TV or The Internet Archives for some old public domain adventure movies.
The Nyoka character in this film is said to be the descendant of the character by the same name who headlines a 1942 serial. That serial was 15 episodes and had a budget of $175,000, according to IMDB. According to the trivia, this 2014 released "sequel" is actually comprised of 3 shorter films and a new footage. The editing and continuity are clean enough that I would not have guessed this fact from watching. The newer film's budget is also estimated at $5000. It still amazes me how video and ultra-indie productions have changed movie budgets. $5000 is likely more than I spent in the end on "Jack vs Lanterns", and definitely more than I spent on either "Alien Vengeance" feature. (I actually worked it out so that we saved on flights for Debbie Rochon by flying her in for her scenes in both movies just once and she shot most of her sequences over a weekend, so we were able to split those costs over both budgets.)
Back to Nyoka. The producers worked hard at keeping the production similar in tone to the original adventure serial, although as a feature the cliffhangers play out a little less dramatically and there seemed to be too few. (The original likely would have had seven in the same time span.) Important elements, however, were kept, such as Satan the gorilla, still portrayed by a "Gorilla Man". I'm glad they kept that specific effect retro since much else was done with CG. The computer generated F/X quality was of varying degrees, but none of it was "bad". Some of it was pretty impressive.
Nicola Rae did an excellent job portraying the smart mouthed, capable adventurer, Nyoka. I was actually disappointed to see that she only has one other IMDB credit. I think she could add some flare to other independent productions.
Chris Casteel lends his talents as both Gurson, one of the explorers who helps provide some exposition and as the man in the gorilla suit portraying Satan. I feel like the ape suit could have been helped a bit by lighting, but overall it's impressive as a throwback to a an era when gorillas were almost exclusively portrayed by men in costume. Angles and camera work can also make or break an onscreen monster, even a gorilla, and this is proven by one particular in which Satan charges, which for me stood out among the rest of his appearances. He really came across as threatening for those moments of screen time.
Pierce Knightly and Nancy Krayer turn in appropriately over the top campy performances as The Crimson Skull and Congo Kate, respectively.
The supporting cast is capable.
The video and audio tracks are pretty clean with some shaky camera work here and there. That's mostly noticeable because it's more "modern" than the locked down cameras of the 40s. The score was reminiscent of the type heard in old serials and jungle movies, which added to the nostalgia.
The plot is also pretty typical for these types of movies, so it will certainly seem a bit "corny" to modern audiences, especially if they've never seen an old serial.
My suggest for this one? If you're a fan of old serials and jungle flicks, give it a watch whenever. If not, look for some old Public Domain serials and/or jungle movies and watch them first. Then top it all off with this modern adaptation of the genre and style. "Cape TV" on Roku is a good place to find serials for free and try Tanget TV or The Internet Archives for some old public domain adventure movies.
No comments:
Post a Comment