A better TV pilot than Hollywood movie

Rating: 5/10 (29 September 2013)

It is very hard to like this film but somehow is garners enough good will that I can't dislike it.
The Good: The cast are good. Both Jeremy Renner and Gemma Aterton know what this film is and seem to be having fun with it. The tone is fun and frantic not wanting to give you time to think to hard about what is going on or why. The violence is cartoonish and over the top, as the are ridiculous weapons (which do look like left overs from Hugh Jackman's Van Halsing).
I would also like draw attention to the marvelous practical effects used for Edward the Troll. These effects are wonderful to see and hark back to some of the best practical effects committed in children's cinema, such as "The never ending Story" or "The Dark Crystal". more about the effect in the bad section.
The bad: This never feels like a film that anyone in charge had any faith in. If you want to pull of a convincing fantasy world on screen I believe that the best way to do it is to go all out. through out the film I couldn't shake the feeling that they had wanted to go further but were being pulled back by the studio.
Much of the CGI is used to polish up the practical effects and work well but when the film relies on them, for gore or the magic it looks very cheap.
Overall: I would recommend giving this film a go and enjoy the fun and practical effects, but don't expect too much. The film feels more like an expensive TV show pilot than a Hollywood film. The need to expand the universe as a TV series is confirmed by the early closing credits scene.