Maximillian (2019)

Maximillian: Directed by Keith Collins II. With Vernard Adams, Demond Ballou, Jassen Bruegman, Ember Burns. The secret team of assassins, the Shadows, are put to the test in an ultimate game of survival.

“I almost didnu0026#39;t watch this film because of the negative reviews. Some of them were so bad that they made me want to see it for myself knowing that sometimes the bad ones are entertaining just because they are so bad. This was not the case with this one. No true fan of action and the art of martial arts is overly concerned with the storyline to begin with. With that being said, the storyline was good but the action itself was great. Did the actors seem like newbies or independent film actors? Yes, but the strong fight choreography more than made up for it. Not to mention the length of some of the fight scenes. Even as novices, the performers held their own. Kudos to the fight coordinator. Hollywood has jaded audiences with their big budgets, big name actors and flashy special effects so much so that people have lost their appreciation for passionate artists who can get a solid film done on their own dime. The cinematography was definitely solid for an independent film. Without giving anything away, while their have been other films in this genere that bear similar aspects, one of the most unique concepts was the incorporation of a certain supporting character. For me it was like The Raid meets Fight Club. Were some of the special effects like the plasma swords Hollywood grade? Short answer no, but for me it almost seems as if it paid homage to sci/fi films from back in the day which as someone who appreciates nostalgia, it only added to the films appeal. Is this film worth a watch? Definitely. I would even suggest watching it more than once to get a true appreciation for it and a real sense of what the filmmaker was trying to accomplish with this piece. There were subtle things I didnu0026#39;t pick up on the first time that I caught the second time that helped pull everything together. Given the fact that the future of traditional Hollywood is so uncertain right now in the age of Covid-19, its a good thing that independent films and independent filmmakers like this exist. From the looks of the crew IMDb page, this film was done with very few people. Big budget films have never and will never be able to pull off the quality of films that people are accustomed to with such a small crew. With the strong possibility that independent films will be the wave of the future, Assassinu0026#39;s Game is a solid victory for the coming new age of independent films.”