After a young girl, Georgia (Bella Ramsey), is orphaned–she takes it upon herself to exact revenge on the Villain of her story, a fire-breathing dragon. However, when she enters the dragon’s lair, she finds something unexpected. While the dragon has wronged her, there’s more to his story than Georgia could have imagined.
There’s something to be said about a short, low-budget film that manages to develop effective special effects and computer generated visuals, and Villain does a really good job of bringing fantasy to life in a way that feels real and accessible. I don’t think that the CGI is a make it or break it for Villain, but it does play a pivotal role in how viewers receive the film as a whole, and it can certainly help more than it can hurt (at least that’s how I feel). The fact that there is so much attention to detail in this regard really does work wonders for the film, and the moments inside of the dragon’s cave present viewers with something very real, or at least as real as a dragon can possibly be. I felt immersed in this beautiful set design and the development of the fire-breathing beast only adds to the intensity of the film, effectively creating emotion and drama.
Ramsey has become a household name as a result of projects like Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, so she certainly knows her way around a science-fiction project, and she appears right at home here. She, once again, finds herself part of a massive world, one that is far bigger and more dangerous than many can typically fathom–and, yet, she’s able to fill the screen. She makes her presence felt throughout the course of Villain, and she uses her powerful voice and her impeccable ability to act to appeal to viewers and to make the film better.
Ramsey also physically fills the screen as a result of the cinematography. She’s a wonderful young actor, and she, again, fills the screen because of her talent–but the cinematography draws us in close to her, making her larger than life in many situations throughout the course of the film. Villain sees a dragon take the veritable stage and play a major role in the film, and it can be difficult to allow a single actor to compare in size and importance–but Director of Photography Andreas Neo does such a wonderful job of manipulating the camera in order to make Georgia bigger, to make her more present in the film. She’s positioned in the best possible ways, and seeing her in close ups allows her to appear as big as the dragon and to take over the film in the most effective ways.
It’s important that Writer-Director Sparky Tehnsuko and Neo find ways to make Ramsey bigger, literally, so that Georgia can thrive and so she doesn’t become overshadowed by her massive counterpart. This team constantly finds ways to appeal to viewers, to make Georgie more relevant, and ultimately drive Villain toward success. In a relatively short and concise film, there are a lot of things going on in Villain–but the film never becomes overcrowded or frumpy. Villain is dark, gritty, and well-developed. Everything works together toward success, and the casting of Ramsey is simply the icing on the cake.
Written & Directed by Sparky Tehnsuko.
Starring Bella Ramsey & Isla Gie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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