DVD Review – In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds

In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds is out on DVD & Blu-Ray this week. Does Uwe Boll live up to the repuation that precedes him with his latest release? Here are Tom’s thoughts on the film.

Uwe Boll is infamous as a director of bad films and because of this I have to admit that I’ve never risked taking a look at any of his releases. I decided to bite my tongue and give the awkwardly titled In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds a look, and whilst it was much better than I thought it would be, most of my enjoyment came from the ridiculousness of the situations Dolph Lundgren encountered and the choice lines that he mumbled

‘I began my day with a protein shake and now I’m in a medieval hut’ is not a phrase I have heard before now but I’m glad Dolph Lundgren’s character Granger shared his thoughts with us after being transported back in time through a strange portal. Not long after this you can even see him coming to blows with the king of this strange new realm who happens to resemble the king from the Burger King adverts far too closely for it to be a coincidence, and if anything he is less intimidating. He dwells in a papier mache fort that is only ever glimpsed from one angle, and if this is the best shot Boll had of the fort then I’m glad we didn’t see the rest.

Granger soon sets off on a dangerous quest to complete three dubiously named tasks to help restore the realm to its natural order. Off he treks through the woods where he battles hordes of dangerous soldiers and picks up a helpless female when she trips over a twig and sprains her ankle – all in a days work for Dolph Lundgren. There is one instance where he encounters quite an impressively realised CGI creature that turned up at the perfect moment to prevent my attention from waning but for a dungeons and dragons style flick, the fantasy element was very underused.

Those of you who remember the camp but entertaining channel five series Hercules starring Kevin Sorbo will be in familiar territory here, although Uwe Boll’s film is not nearly as enjoyable as Hercules. Lundgren is well past his prime and the supporting cast put in performances that indicate they were probably only there to pick up their pay cheques, and when a feature film is inferior to a channel five production, it is hard not to raise your eyebrows.

There are far worse films out there but In the Name of the King 2 does confirm my fears about Uwe Boll, that his reputation is well deserved. I have no intention of watching any of his other films and would advise you to do the same unless you relish bad film-making.

I have given it 1.5/5 – mainly for my favourite line of dialogue in any film ever – ‘I began my day with a protein shake and now I’m in a medieval hut’

In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds is available on DVD and Blu-Ray now through Entertainment One.

About The Author – Tom Bielby

Long time film fan and aspiring film writer, Tom is a horror fanatic who wasted far too much time at University sitting through every film in the IMDB Top 250. He is partial to foreign films and cult cinema and would love to rid the world of people who rustle their popcorn during important scenes. He can be found on Twitter under the alias @filmbantha

Have you ever seen a Uwe Boll film or does his name instil you with terror? Let us know your thoughts below…