Theo (Tom Hardy), the son of the tribal elder (Rutger Hauer), chooses to be one of the sacrifices required every five years of their village. He and the other “youths” travel to the capitol where King Deucalion (Tony Todd) casts them into the catacombs to be killed by the half-god minotaur. But Theo has his own plans: to kill the beast. He is aided by Princess Raphaela (Michelle Van De Water), who hates Deucalion and asked a seer to find a hero to slay the monster.
A teen Fantasy/Horror retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur, the emphasis in Minotaur is on frights and impaling late teens/early twenty-year-olds. It’s all about finding a way to get a young body on a bull’s horn.
Calling this a version of the Greek myth is being generous. Don’t expect any clever ways of getting out of the labyrinth. There’s a giant undead bull who’s called The Minotaur and a guy named Theseus, although he goes by Theo. Beyond that, there are screaming teens and unexplainable gas vents. The inspiration is cheap budget horror movies. There’s little of Greece here.
Fantasy flicks are expensive to make, so when money is scarce, the corner-cutting can be painful. As endless speeches and pseudo-emotional heart-to-hearts are less expensive than epic battles, walks through flowing cities, or brightly lit creatures, Minotaur is filled with talking. Our heroes run from the monster, and then find a nice spot to chat for ten minutes. Another brief chase and they’ve found a hiding place to tell their stories. Most of the discussions are irrelevant to the plot; they just fill in time.
On the plus side are the old pros taking supporting roles. Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Omega Doom) and Tony Todd (Night of the Living Dead, Candy Man,) are far from their best here, but they are always a kick to watch. Hauer is only around long enough to give some energy to the proceedings, but Todd gets plenty of time to wax philosophical with his lilting tones. Ex-sex goddess Ingrid Pitt (The Wicker Man) makes a cameo as a leprous soothsayer, which doesn’t use any of her skills, but its nice to know she’s still around.
The not-that-youthful youths are generic, but that’s as much a function of the drab, monochrome cinematography as their acting. Ten minutes after it is over, I doubt if you’d be able to pick them out on the street. The exception is the uncommonly beautiful Michelle Van De Water, who is at least distinctive with her performance, and is so attractive that her other skills are irrelevant.
Minotaur was a good idea for a film, but money and talent were in too short supply for the final product to be anything but a grim time waster.