Upon the slaughter of his father and while tribe, Hagori, a young courageous and intelligent guy and the son of the tribe leader, makes his mind to avenge for the death of his father, in order to send honor and peace to his soul.
"The Dead Lands" doesn't add up to much, but it is always on the verge of becoming more than just a bed time story for guys that wish "Braveheart" had a biceps-kissing baby with "Ong Bak."
It feels like a typical action movie that's been sawed off and sanded down - its blunt edges sharpened, its soft center drained out. It's not particularly original, but it is mean, relentless, and bracing.
A grisly, Maori revenge flick tailor-made for fans of high body-count fare.
New Zealand Herald
May 23, 2016
It's in te reo but The Dead Lands never feels like it's trying too hard to say anything important. All the same, it may well become a very important film.
Seldom have I seen a more foreign film than this one. This is a story set, not only in a language, Te Reo, totally separate from Indo-European languages, but in a very different time and culture, as well.
Situating death as the catalyst to action whereby legends, apparitions and spirits mobilize the command to vengeance, Fraser's narrative teems and trounces with relentless bloodshed, slaughter, violence and gore.
