WoW Moviewatch: Illegal Danish - Escape from Orgrimmar
by Moo Money 
Jan 2nd 2008 at 11:15AM
One of the longest running jokes in Machinima history finally came to a close today with the release of the long-awaited sequel to Illegal Danish: Super Snacks. Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar was originally announced right after the premiere of IDSS, with a scheduled release date about 6 months later. However, it had been pushed back for over a year, leading many to compare it to Duke Nukem Forever, which, coincidentally, debuted a brand new trailer several weeks ago.
Around the same time that 3D Realms was releasing their DNF trailer, Myndflame made an announcement that IDEFO had a scheduled release date of December 31st, at 6pm EST. It would coincide with a real life wrap party to ring in the New Year. However, fans flooded the site, literally and figuratively. Not only were 75,000 people trying to access the site, but someone was also attacking it at the same time. Given the holiday, it would take some time to fix, thus not appearing until 2008.
Previously on Moviewatch...
Read on after the jump to see the full assessment ..
Before I go into reviewing Illegal Danish 2, I'd like to mention that I am a full-time Machinima creator, promoter, and critic. IDEFO has had over 29,000 views and 7,000 downloads in just a few hours, but I'm actually shocked and appalled at some of the comments that have been made. I'm going to give this movie the review it deserves, constructively, instead of trolling. I know this won't win me any love, but until you've made something as epic as this, there is no way to fully appreciate the effort that was made.
With that said, I'm not a grinder in World of Warcraft. I can't tell you a single thing about lore. When I look for Moviewatch material, I base it on certain criteria, such as an engaging storyline, video and audio quality, and editing style. It is a rare day that I find a gem such as this one. It's easy to be on the other side, judging the work instead of doing it. However, this is, at the heart of it, free entertainment being provided to you.
Before you go writing me off as a rabid fangirl, hear me out. From a non-WoW viewpoint, I loved it. There are certain things that I'll get into shortly that I wish were different, but overall, it was excellent. As a casual player, I was still able to enjoy it and recognize many of the references made. If the WoW audience doesn't like it, the regular viewers will.
For those of you not familiar with Illegal Danish: Super Snacks, I have provided a brief summary. The "Illegal Danish" guild's purpose is to protect it's namesake, a tart of a pastry dating back many years. When the sinister Van Kraken seeks the illegal danish for a special elixir, a plan is set into motion. Guild members split off to investigate a portal disruption, while Floivan's joyride brings an unexpected visitor. The fate of the guild is left hanging at the end.
Coming in at 24 minutes, Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar picks up where IDSS left off. It's a murloc-driving, tank-powered, ass-kicking adventure of a comedy. The illegal danish has been stolen, Floivan and Dirti get separated in Stranglethorn Vale, and Basutei finds himself imprisoned in Orgrimmar. What's left to do? Why, break into song, of course!
If you're still with me, great! I loved the fact that, despite it taking so long to produce, they were able to see the humor in it and mock themselves. Clint Hackleman provided a great soundtrack for the film, while his brother, D.W., nailed the editing. It was visually stunning, with a lot of post-production work put into it. The voice actors fit their roles and they used the right characters for the scenes.
However, the credits really seemed rushed. I know they set a deadline and fully intended to keep it, but I fear that the last few minutes may have suffered as a result. They used an eight month old music video as the backdrop, and to compensate, they scrunched the text. In addition, the movie jumped frantically at points, but that can be expected in a situational comedy such as this one. It does end quite abruptly, though, leaving you to wonder when the final episode of the story arc will be completed.
The bottom line is, there seems to be a petty grudge holding people back from truly enjoying what is one of the best Machinimas I've seen come out of WoW. It is a marked improvement from IDSS and it shows. If you sit back and watch it without any pre-conceived notion in your head, it's quite good.
Considering the fact that, due to Blizzard's Fair-Use Guide, they were unable to profit much from their work, it's amazing that a two-person team had the time to do it. Real life happens, and while the film has its faults, I can't even imagine devoting such a large amount of time to one project. That's an accomplishment in itself, and they've done it several times.
If you'd like to watch the film, you can visit Myndflame.com, or to rate/comment on it, visit Warcraftmovies.com.
Filed under: Machinima, Humor, WoW Moviewatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Stavmar Jan 2nd 2008 11:42AM
I thought it was entertaining, you really can't push creativity. It takes as long as it takes. These guys have an understanding of what it is to be a consistent WoW player and really put it out there in a funny format that many will enjoy.
Thanks for the review and thanks to Mindflame for putting up with so much hate form their fans.
Job well done.
Coanunn Jan 2nd 2008 12:19PM
Props to both the review as well as the film. These guys put alot of effort into something for nothing more than the creative need to produce it. It may not be "cannon" to Blizzards backgrounds, it may not be what any one person is looking for but it was a quality effort and very entertaining.
onetrueping Jan 3rd 2008 11:46AM
"Canon," please, unless you intend to fire books of lore at murlocs or something.
Thijz Jan 2nd 2008 12:34PM
Both the review and the movie were really good. Sure, a druid can't turn into flight form in Orgrimmar, there's no prison in Ogrimmar, etc etc... But the whole thing was really entertaining and in the end I was craving for more! The visuals were stunning (look at the zoom-out from Thralls room to the whole world!) and the characters are really well designed!
kr3wman Jan 2nd 2008 12:44PM
In Ironforge you mean.
For me, I tought the end ended abruptly, yes, but by the best way possible...
Thijz Jan 2nd 2008 12:58PM
Yes, little typo from me there, thanks ;)
Velaegis Jan 2nd 2008 12:48PM
It's really dark for me. I can hardly see anything.
Any help?
Dunwich Jan 2nd 2008 1:08PM
It was amusing enough, and perhaps the most slickly produced Machinima for WoW going. For a fan production, a non-profit one at that, it's staggering.
Dunno if it was worth the wait, but damned if I didn't get a giggle out of it.
Green Armadillo Jan 2nd 2008 1:21PM
I thought it was well done, even if we're probably not going to get the third chapter until 2010. ;)
TotalBiscuit Jan 2nd 2008 1:30PM
That review was pretty piss-poor if you ask me, skipping over the blatant, deep-running flaws in the movie and glossing it up to be something more than it really is, while showing a fundamental lack of knowledge of the WoW Machinima scene as a whole. Full time machinima creator and critic indeed, the WoW Machinima scene is a completely different animal to Second Life, or anything else for that matter. Allow me to offer an alternative view, as a follower and commentator on the WoW Machinima scene specifically, having produced a couple of moderately successful movies of my own, and self-confessed ex-Myndflame zealot.
I'm going to take flak with this, but I honestly don't care. I've had it up to here with what used to be a top-class machinima studio, one of my personal favourites, being lauded as more than it is, and the marked plummet in story-telling from Zinwrath to Super Snacks, and then Super Snacks to EFO.
I posted this on Warcraftmovies, sadly their comment space is limited.
"As a huge Myndflame fan since Zinwrath, I was looking forward to this movie, and like others, have been waiting for a long time. During that time however, my attention has been grabbed by other productions, not least those of Baron Soosdon, Nhym, Beckman and the producers of The Grind and Snacky's Journal. In the time it took to produce this movie, many budding stars have risen to the fore, and blown past Myndflame, in both AV quality and writing. I am reminded of the often-named-dropped Tales of the Past 3, for an example of just how far machinima can go towards being taken seriously as a true method of film-creation. This movie takes that principle, and takes it 3 steps back. An utterly incoherent journey through a series of almost unrelated scenes, answering very few questions and creating far more, leaving the door wide open for a sequel that may never arrive.
A thorough disappointment in both writing and creativity, with Gobbler's music and his obvious genius in the aforementioned area being the clear highlight."
To me, this movie cements Myndflame's irrelevance in the current WoW machinima scene. They were great, there's no two ways about that. Few would dispute the comic mastery of Zinwrath (and I think that's particularly important, who's missing from the other two movies? You guessed it..). It's editing was innovative, not perfect, but DIFFERENT, and that was important at the time. Adobe After-Effects was used, for perhaps one of the first times in WoW Machinima, and it was awesome. The movie never failed to surprise, and I remember watching it 50+ times, and being thrilled to meet Myndflame at Blizzcon '05 and interview them (with Zinwrath himself being the clear dominant personality in the group).
Then we got Illegal Danish, released under questionable circumstances just in time to win pretty much everything in the X-fire contest. A movie that was not in fact finished before the deadline, and the deadline mysteriously extended for no apparent reason, which happened to be just enough to allow ID:SS to be entered. Convenient, suspicious one might say. Not only that, but who could forget the utterly out of place dance sequence, designed to allow the movie to be entered into the dance category as well. Pretty down and dirty if you ask me, but ok, I can live with that. Now what about the FACT, that they blatantly broke contest rules by releasing the movie early, thereby bringing themselves huge additional promotion and attention that they otherwise would not have had? That was one of my biggest wtf moment to be honest. It's not that they didn't deserve to win the contest, their movie was clearly the best of the bunch, but the fact that some very suspicious and questionable shit went on in order for that to happen, is an irrevocable smear on their good-name. This may of course be a series of misunderstandings and unfortunate events, but the above did happen. The motivation for them, can only be guessed at, rather than proven.
Then we get the IDEFO trailer, promising a meaningful continuation to the story, some kick-ass editing and the return of Zinwrath! Which didn't happen of course, Zinwrath is not part of their team anymore and to be quite honest, from what I saw at Blizzcon, he was their driving force, and the man with the ideas. They have admitted on their website that they had to completely rewrite the script. I would hazard a guess that the omission of this key character, and the lynchpin for the story, was the reason.
Continued hype and missed release dates, Myndflame calls for donations to help fund the project, and then in live chat only last night Gobbler claims " you do realize we have lives right?, so STFU, blow me or go away". Really? Lives like, normal people, with jobs, and the ability to fund their amateur hobby projects? (that's what it is, this is not professional machinima, no more than begging for handouts on a street-corner makes you a professional hobo). Why is it that one guy, with a job, can make a movie almost 5 times the length of yours (5 times if you discount the pointless credit sequences and intro of IDEFO), in 3 hours work per day, that has better editing and writing than yours? (referring of course to Tales of the Past) What exactly was that money for? Don't tell me it was for new equipment to record your original music (the only redeeming factor of the movie, aside from the hark-back to Zinwrath that came in the form of the hilarious, yet woefully short Super Snacks Fighting Game scene), the soundtrack was done over a year ago and the rendering rig was donated by viewers, as stated on Myndflame's website a good long time ago. You're not telling me that you didn't take a job for all this time to work on this, are you? In which case what the hell did you actually waste your time on? There were no 'wow, that's amazing editing' moments that I remember from Zinwrath and Super Snacks. There were no laugh out loud, original jokes, and their were no just plain awesome scenes that I'd want to watch over and over again.
No, what IDEFO is, in this man's humble opinion, is a flailing attempt to salvage an almost dead franchise, and a desperate cry for attention. It is out-classed, in every way, by other movies. With trailer after trailer and several useless shorts released to try and keep interest alive in Myndflame's work, as well as the cynical 'affiliation' offered to other, more talented machinimators, was there really any possibility that this movie would have been anything more than a crushing disappointment? I cant wear the rose-tinted spectacles that I once wore as a rabid Myndflame fan, because this entire process has been perhaps one of the most jading experiences the machinima scene has ever known. A fall from grace of gigantic proportions.
A weakly-strung effort at best, a mish-mash of scenes and characters that make little to no sense, some flagrantly stolen humour (Python anyone in the jailhouse scene?) and enough plot-holes to swallow up the population of a small town. I've seen more tied up ends at a Glass Shoe-Lace Convention.
Some of you may think I'm being harsh, but at the end of the day, I used to be a fan, and I've been let down, as have many others. This is how not to make your machinima, and a lesson to all in future that this is just the kind of development cycle you need to avoid, because all it leads to is justified criticism and a poor end-result. Arcanite reaper? No.. Not again. When your jokes are coing from 6 month to 2 year old memes, many of which you yourself started, then you know something's dusty and rusty in your writing.
Myndflame need to be lauded for their initial effort in Zinwrath, and to some degree, Super Snacks. Both brought something new, fresh and genuinely entertaining to the WoW Machinima Scene. Now that scene has changed, and it seems to me that Myndflame needs to find their A-game again and get with the times. B-grade writing and abject silliness without a purpose won't cut it anymore, and no amount of fancy After-Effects work will change that. Here's hoping whatever they put out next will right some of the wrongs this installment has committed, but that's not going to change this man's humble opinion that this is the worst thing they've ever put out and many of it's flaws are inexcusable.
Khanmora Jan 2nd 2008 1:46PM
QFT TB.
Velaegis Jan 2nd 2008 1:54PM
I agree and disagree. Instead of writing a review on the machinima, you wrote a review on Myndflame. Everything you said was true, and should not be overlooked.
However, this was a great Machinima. It was NOT worth the wait, it was over hyped... but it was pretty damn good if you ask me, and I applaud Myndflame for this.
I guess I thought they could do better, though.
Balasan Jan 2nd 2008 1:56PM
TLDR
Whatever you may hate about this movie, there's others out there that still like it, including myself. Of course it has its flaws, but regardless, the end product was worth the wait.
TotalBiscuit Jan 2nd 2008 2:08PM
@11 Thanks, but I did remark on what I believe was worth remarking on in the machinima, but more importantly, put it in the context of Myndflame's previous work. It is nigh on impossible, for anyone that's been following Myndflame's and the WoW Machinima scene's work in general, to take it as a stand-alone product.
If it were a stand-alone product, I'd have said the same thing 'This movie has no sense of plot, doesn't resolve anything what-so-ever at any point, is recycling things which were funny 2 years ago, but not anymore, and lacks the very essence of good storytelling. This script seems like it was written in 10 minutes on the back of a beer-mat'.
If Zinwrath and Super Snacks had never existed, this movie would still be complete nonsense. The fact that they do exist makes matters even worse because they were both awesome in their own way.
If you enjoy the movie, then great, I'm glad you've not had to suffer the disappointment I have, because I tell ya, it really sucks. It can all be summed up in a single sentence
'They can, and have done, so much better'
zygote Jan 2nd 2008 2:22PM
I don't really have anything to add on the STATE OF MACHINIMA — say it in a voice like James Earl Jones playing God and maybe it has the right tone.
However, I read your comment in a snooty voice (Think Thurston Howell III) and picture you wearing a monocle, perhaps a jaunty hat and an ascot, wielding a cane with a large crystal bird on it — perhaps a trophy wife on your arm, a glass of $500 wine in your other hand as you regale the room with your witty and biting criticism of a video game movie before leaving for your vacation home in the Hamptons.
The image made me laugh.
Not as much as the movie — but I did giggle.
TotalBiscuit Jan 2nd 2008 2:27PM
Clever stuff Zygote, were you touching yourself as you penned your ever so droll witticisms, in the criticism of the criticism of a video-game movie on a blog's comment section?
We could do this all day, pip pip old chap.
zygote Jan 2nd 2008 2:38PM
TB:
I yield the field to you.
In blog comments, going to the masturbatory reference almost straight out of the box is a sign of power, prestige and E-Peen prowess that I am just ill equipped to handle right now.
I suppose I could respond with a "your mama" joke, but honestly, doesn't someone have to draw the line?
TotalBiscuit Jan 2nd 2008 2:42PM
@Zygote - Kindly do not besmirch the glorious art of sarcasm with your ham-fisted slobbering attempts to practicing it. If you wish to play the ad-hom e-thuggery game, then bring it on, by all means, whip it out and let's compare.
Morian Jan 2nd 2008 6:51PM
So, So , So True. TB FTW (In a Non-Zealous kind of way).
And the bit about Super Snacks and the X-fire contest? Interesting indeed.
wyrd Jan 3rd 2008 10:17AM
Way too long. Not going to bother reading that much crap on a comment.