Magus
Starring: Ron Fitzgerald, Bill Steele, Lizzy Strain
Written & Directed By: John Lechago
Released: 2008
Grade: C

In the world of magic just like in the real world, there is good and bad, also known as white and dark magic. Dark magic emerges from those who aren’t satisfied with the abilities and powers that they have. They become greedy and want more until they control over every single person. When someone gets to this dangerous state of magic it is known as the magus, which is what the film, The Magus speaks to and tries bring it out in a horrific way. There is a very small resemblance of this, but it is unfortunately not a success. The film as a whole isn’t quite a miserable failure either, it is merely okay and doesn’t leave much of an impression on you.

Felix (Steele) is essentially a retired wizard. He has many powers and healing is his specialty but he thinks it is best if he just doesn’t use them anymore. This is because he has seen bad things happen when he tries to use his magic for good. He doesn’t keep it locked up forever though. After 8 years of not seeing his family he visits and ends up staying with his niece, Claudia (Strain). Claudia is at first reluctant to go out of her way to comfort her uncle, Felix. She has a lot going on with her jiu jitsu. Claudia is getting ready for her black belt test, which is really important to her. Before the test though, she has to complete a good deed. She decides that helping Uncle Felix get back in to shape could be her good deed and at the same time she would be able to train for her black belt test. Felix at first refuses this and just wants to be left alone. After he magically heels a massive cut Claudia gets, she learns of his gift and soon agrees to help his niece,

Healing Claudia’s cut was supposed to be a one time slip for Felix. However, soon he learns that the Magus Fernos is at large. He is going against the Wizard Code of using magic to fight evil and not stopping anywhere until he has all of the power. The magus is very strong, he has been killing for work and to console his power hunger. He is turning on everyone, even those who he supposedly loves aren’t safe from him. Felix is getting old and he hasn’t been an active wizard in some time. He has been told that the magus will be coming after him. Not only does this put him in great danger, but everyone around him as well. He takes time to strengthen his magic and ends up having to tell Claudia the whole truth about him. Felix eventually has to fight for many lives against the evil magus.

Lizzy Strain’s character was hard to completely feel for. The relationship between her and her uncle was key. It is a good relationship, but her performance really held it back. She was okay, but she just didn’t seem realistic and therefore just seemed like an object to unsuccessfully try to engage sympathy. Bill Steele helped this a little as his performance was more realistic. He was true to the emotions given the events that were happening around him. Ron Fitzgerald did look pretty creepy as the magus and displayed the desire for control. Overall, the characters were decent and tolerable, but they didn’t add the depth that they should have, leaving the rest of the film lay flat as well.

I was a bit skeptical going in to this movie, I wasn’t sure if magical elements could be pulled off to represent horrors. There are definite terrifying possibilities that could be brought to the table. Humans are already capable of so many terrible and truly monstrous things. So just imagine if the work didn’t really have to be put in to it. It could be seemingly impossible to stop a powerful wizard from doing whatever they wanted to do to anyone he wanted to do it too. The power struggle and possessive nature was there, but it still seemed very tame. Magus aimed and marketed itself as a horror film, but it really isn’t. It is much more of a fantasy driven drama. It didn’t cover any new ground on this as it just seemed like an inferior battle of good vs. evil in magic.

One theme I was able to appreciate though was that even if power is attainable, it doesn’t mean you should use it automatically. It is best to just use when you need it to make sure you don’t become the very thing you are fighting against. Magus isn’t all bad, it has some very good elements such as this. It is just not all there, which just makes it feel like it is lacking in so many areas. The acting could improve immensely to give us somebody we can relate to and really care about. The script itself and the dialogue at times seem to play it safe. There is all of this talk about obsession of power and terrible evils, yet aside from an attack here and there we don’t seen enough of it. The story would be much stronger if we could see in to events of the past and the current minds of Felix and the magus. With magus there is so much more that could be explored and shown about what really should be a more complex character rather than the typical bad guy. Felix has been out of his family’s life for the past 8 years since his wife was killed by the magus. Felix at one point has a dream of his wife having evil in her and using it towards Felix. The death of his wife and what that part of Felix’s life was like would give his character much more meaning and purpose. Also, he says bad things can happen from good things. This isn’t built off of or explained enough though to really understand Felix about this or his hesitation to do magic. Magus definitely has potential and if some of the powerful themes would be represented, explored, and built off of in a more creative way that’s easier to relate to and care about it could actually be a very good film.

- Kelsey Zukowski