Trail of Ashes (2020) User Reviews

not particularly amazing

[sergiy777-2 · 2/10 · 3 December 2020]

Nice dress for the queen, few nice views, but rest is not so impressive. Just check the trailer

I am on your side

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 6 December 2020]

The Lothos Empire takes over the indigenous population and builds their capital city Num on the "tombs of their ancestors." Now in present time, they want to reclaim their country. Ran (Arturo Lizardi) impersonates a "Quill" who questions a prisoner about the disappearance of the daughter of the Empress, one of several girls to go missing.

The film is filled with flashbacks and confusing scenes with little action or a decent plot. The accents were all over the place making understanding the feature a chore within itself, not how I like to watch films.

Guide: No swearing. Brief sex. No nudity.

Trip

[Stanlee107 · 4/10 · 6 December 2020]

This is a disjointed film that uses religious symbolism. This has that Mel Gibson's Apocalypto vibe but that was action packed whereas this film is so much more reserved. I had high hopes for this but as I watched it just felt this is come short, which proved to be the case. The ending is a bit of a let down.

A compelling world.

[yanfashion · 18 December 2020]

I was very intrigued with the world the story is set in. The costumes, the ambience in general, the cultures, it all felt rich and left with plenty of room to explore. If the story were to continue, I think it would work better as a series, instead of a trilogy. This is not your regular action-adventure fantasy film. It is an indie-slow burn- mystery with little magic/sorcery (which is as much as I like anyways). Looking forward to explore more of this world.

Trail of Ashes

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 28 May 2023]

This is really two films - one good the other not so good. On the positive side: the production, the location and overall look of the movie is impressive. It can't have had much of a budget so the use made of local scenery, light and shade works well to create the working scenario for the rest of it. Now that, sadly, is the bit that lets it down. The story centres around the search for the daughter of the Empress who has been missing since her people were conquered by the "Lothos". That quest reunited two estranged brothers "Marco" (Hector Escudero Lobe) and "Silas" (Arturo Lizardi) but what doesn't really ensue now is much by way of action or adventure. It's a bit wordy (with some unnecessarily thick accents) with some rather ropey political intrigue, and at times the narrative jumps around the timeline just once to often to readily follow. It's really got the feel of a short story to it, and stretching it out for just shy of one hundred minutes proves just a bit too difficult for the assembled talent in front of and behind the camera. It is worth a watch for the ambience of the thing, but that's the height of it I'm afraid.

Nice in the middle part

[gianmarcoronconi · 5/10 · 15 September 2023]

This is not a real review, it should be taken more as a collection of impressions on the film.

This film doesn't have an ending, damn it, that is, there actually is an ending but it's not absolutely satisfactory and in my opinion this film deserved something better because at least the second part, even if boring, is cute and full of mystery. In my opinion the film is clearly divided into two parts, the first part is very boring and without rhyme or reason, in the second part however the film at least makes sense while remaining very boring and very slow but at least it captivates the viewer to the extent of the rubbish that it is the end. So the beginning is boring, the development is boring but at least it's interesting and the ending is boring and also bad.

Amazing for what it is

[epetruortiz · 8/10 · 3 December 2020]

Keeping in mind that this is a completely local Puerto Rican production and that they were working with a very limited budged, this is an amazing film with an original premise and setting. The plot and world building are fantastic, but are limited by the lack of grand visuals common in many movies now. Without the headspace to fully flesh out the grand ideas on the script, viewers may be left disappointed when large plot points aren't as visually impactful as one may be used to. If you personally can get past this point, like I did, you will find a very enjoyable movie with a clear vision and good execution.

Two extra stars for effort

[kimpuck · 8/10 · 18 December 2020]

I knew this was low budget while I was watching it but I didn't know HOW low budget it was. It is impressive that they managed to tell this story with less than 150k, so kudos to everyone involved. It looked great, the sound was awesome, and it had some good acting too, even if some of the accents were distracting. It was more slow and artsy than I was expecting, but not bad. Recommended if you're into this type of experimental films.

Amazing

[Filmgeek456 · 9/10 · 5 December 2020]

I was very anxious when I saw the trailer for this movie and now that I finally saw it, I found it to be a great job. I was hesitant when I saw a few of the reviews before about it being "boring" or a "slow burn" but I honestly enjoyed the film, the cinematography and great acting. It is obviously indie and they might have had a low budget but for this being their first Film, I think this was a well done job. Really looking forward to watching more productions from them.

Amazing movie

[fienez · 10/10 · 1 December 2020]

Amazing film. I had preordered it, started watching last night at midnight.... I couldn't stop watching til the very end. Landscape, actors, everything was amazing. Totally recommend