When I first saw the promos for Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire a couple of months ago, I knew I would have to watch. How could I pass up something that looked like a combination of Mel Brooks, the Zucker brothers, and the worlds of Conan the Barbarian and Dungeons and Dragons? Or maybe it's the bastard stepchild of South Park and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Either way, talk about mixed parentage.
And I have to say that I think director Alex Hardcastle and Comedy Central have a winner. Is it stereotypical? Sure. Does it rely on sight gags, bad puns, and innuendo? Sure. Did any of that stand in the way of my enjoying it? Heck no.
Krod Mandoon is the son of a blacksmith and a stay-at-home mom and the leader of a small band of freedom fighters in a fantasy world under siege by the evil Chancellor Dongalor. Krod (Sean Maguire, Meet the Spartans) is tagged as the "Golden One" prophesied to overthrow the evil empire. He is armed with a sword that sometimes is covered in flames and his insecurities.
Krod's nemesis, the evil Dongalor (played to the teeth by Matt Lucas from Little Britain), is the perfect evil manager. He's kind of a combination of Dilbert's "Pointy-Haired Boss" and Thulsa Doom from the movie Conan the Barbarian. He wants to motivate his employees through fear, then reward the ones who are left. In one scene his main flunky tells Dongalor that he'd hired some translators to translate some runes and Dongalor asks if his flunky killed one to motivate the others and gave gift bags to the ones left. Though I've never worked for a boss like him, I've heard horror stories.
Traveling with Krod is his girlfriend Aneka, Loquasto, Zezelryck, and Bruce. This group gives "rag tag" a bad name...
Aneka (the exquisite India de Beaufort, Run Fatboy Run) is a beautiful pagan warrior with great fighting skills who prefers to use her feminine wiles to defeat her enemy. She and Krod are a "non-exclusive" couple because of her "pagan" promiscuousness. Though I'm fairly certain she doesn't do all of her own stunts in Krod Mandoon, the crew make her look really good.
Loquasto (Steve Speirs, Inkheart and Eragon) is a vaguely orkish (or oafish), well-meaning dolt who has a mysterious talent for shooting Krod with crossbow bolts. He has a great comic timing and I look forward to learning more about his character and how he and Krod came to know each other.
Article comments
1 - noneya
"He is armed with a sword that sometimes is covered in flames and his insecurities."
So, wait, what? Is the sword covered in flames and insecurities, or is he armed with a sword and his insecurities or what I'm all confused by your words. :(
2 - Mysteria
Don't you know that it's all right to be confused, my restless wanderer.
3 - UK Viewer
Having just seen the first episode of this incredibly poor new "comedy" I cannot believe that the review I have just read is actually about the same programme.
This comedy is poor in every aspect - there is not an original aspect anywhere to be found, and frankly it is aimed at the base level of humour. Any why oh why do producers insist on making UK actors adopt an american accent?
Please bring back decent comedy.
4 - Johnny
More like Crud Mandoon
5 - Louis Harris
This show is the vastest lake of honking slurry ever to have been pushed into the living rooms of any viewing population. Witless, tired and unlettered. And that goes for this abysmally written review as well. For shame!
6 - richard
i quite liked it.