The Dwarves of Dremrel (2018) Survival Lesson
Survival Lesson: Fuel is critically important: food for our bellies, oil for our lamps, and hope for our hearts.
Rating: 10/10. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen that not many people are going to like. There are lots of movies with Dwarves in caves, but they typically look and feel like guys dressed up as Dwarves on movie sets that look like caves. This movie actually feels like Dwarves in caves. There is almost no moment of this movie where you don't hear the crunch of gravel under foot, or see the breath from their mouths in the cold air, or hear the echoing of voices off of rock walls. It felt claustrophobic and was maddeningly under-lit throughout.
This is not a Hollywood movie. There is no conclusion or beginning, no happy ending, no tying up of loose threads, nothing flashy or fancy, no silly romance out of nowhere, and no satisfactory monster reveal. It is an atmospheric and slow story of three Dwarves stuck in a cave that is moody and grim and somber.
The costumes, gear, and machinery in this are excellent. The mix of axe-and-sword fantasy with electric and mechanical contraptions is very cool. I've seen it described as Steampunk, and it is similar in having anachronistic elements, but stylistically it seemed very different to me. Plus, I always think of Steampunk being based upon steam pressure devices, while these were electrical and combustion based.
The original title for this movie is Dwarves of Dremrel. It has several alternative titles, including Dwarves of Dragon Mountain, which is the title as I saw it. I do not know if the versions are different but the version I saw opens with a shot of a dragon flying above some mountains, however, aside from that there is no dragon in the movie. I am guessing that someone thought that the name change and dragon tease would make the movie more appealing. I am doubtful this was a decision made by whoever made the movie and suspect it is more likely that it was whoever was trying to distribute and sell it.
