But those hopes were dashed by Attack of the Gryphon in the first 15 minutes or so of the film. The story is typical - two warring lands, Lockland and Delphi, desparate to defeat each other. One prince kills the other in a one-on-one battle and all hell breaks loose. The king whose son has been slain enlists the help of his sorceror, despite his daughter's pleadings. If they can awaken the ancient Gryphon from his stony slumber, they can defeat Delphi once and for all. Unfortunately for the people of Lockland, the sorceror has other plans and through trickery, releases the Gryphon under his control alone.
Ah, but wait - there is a saving grace (not for the movie, but for the people of Lockland) - if Princess Amelia (Amber Benson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) can locate the two missing pieces of the Draconian Pike, they can be reunited and driven into the heart of the Gryphon, ending his reign of terror. But in the meantime, Prince Seth of Delphi, played by Jonathan LaPaglia (who looks just like his brother Anthony from Without a Trace) also goes after the Draconian Pike, with his best soldiers in tow. As fate would have it, the groups converge and must unite to defeat Sorceror Armond, his evil brides and the Gryphon. Many die, romance blossoms, and new unions are created.
Now, the plot doesn't sound all that bad and truly, it isn't hideous. But the lines tend towards the lame side, they aren't delivered convincingly and the CGI is just plain painful to watch. I'll be frank - when the Nu Image logo came onscreen prior to the movie, Geck0 turned to me and asked me what year this movie was from. I told him I thought it was a fairly recent flick, but when the CGI Gryphon appeared flying over the CGI castle that flickered in front of the clearly blue-screen background, I had my doubts. Basically, this film is plagued by low production value, so-so acting, a boring plot and cheesy special effects. I would skip this or try and catch it on TV if you are a die-hard fantasy film person. Unless, of course, you want to have your own Mystery Science Theater.
