Wow! An adjective, an adjective, my kingdom for an adjective to describe the cinema of Lawrie Brewster. With The Slave and the Sorcerer, he leaned into the Albert Pyun and Stephen Weeks style of filmmaking. Now, with The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, the director goes full John Boorman by way of Ridley Scott. Megan Tremethick has emerged, phoenix-like, as the reincarnation of the screen siren Vivian Leigh and the queen of indie cinema, with a stylistically spine-chillingly majestic turn as the title character Ginnarra. If you are familiar with “the Scottish play,” then you’re partially aware of the score here.
Queen Ginnarra (Tremethick) has come to the throne before her time. Arrogantly seizing control of the realm after murdering her own father. Then, in the abyss’s darkness, she sought to further quench her lust for power. Giving herself over to the black arts and the powers of the mind, the queen, in Morgan La Fey fashion, brings forth a son. To celebrate her glory, administer her wrath, and potentially succeed her to rule. But the masters of the dark abyss demand constant sacrifice in order for Queen Ginnarra to maintain her reign of darkness and tyranny. With the blood of the innocent flowing like rivers throughout the land, in the queen’s haste to conquer all, she has neglected to deal with the one hero, strong of heart and pure of spirit, who has a claim as the rightful king.
“…the masters of the dark abyss demand constant sacrifice in order for Queen Ginnarra to maintain her reign of darkness and tyranny.”
This is Ginnarra’s brother, the wayward prince, Elderon (Andrew Gourlay), who, as his sister queen’s diabolical plots unfurl unopposed, roams the land like Max von Sydow’s Antonius Block, in close counsel with Death, who possibly awaits him at quest’s end? Those once faithful to Elderon’s father have secretly brought plotting to bring about the downfall of Ginnarra, who brutally and mercilessly annihilates any that cannot surrender to her rule and relinquish all to her exalted highness, marked for death. They have a secret servant who walks the line between revolutionary and traitor to the crown. As luck would have it, they delivered the prince into the conspirators’ hands after a failed assassination by the queen’s son. Like the Slave and the Sorcerer folks, yes, there are dragons in this Brewster film, too.
The Reign of Queen Ginnarra is epic, with the sweeping romanticism of Excalibur or Kingdom of Heaven. Brewster mixes his style in nicely, mixed from his Hex Studios and British Horror Studios. Co-writer Sarah Daly and the rest of the fine folks working on this film are not waiting for Hollywood’s permission to go big. They’re already there. This is the work of a company of film artisans, fueled by the same passion and inspiration as the films that stir them to make these glorious odes to the fantasy cinema of yore, whilst breaking new ground for the future.
So, as to that adjective, the final word on The Reign of Queen Ginnarra? Nonpareil!
"…goes full John Boorman by way of Ridley Scott."
