"In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale," the $60 million fantasy movie based on Gas Powered Games' PC game franchise, "Dungeon Siege," is finished. Director Uwe Boll, who has focused on turning videogames into movies--many of which were pretty bad--finally has made a decent film. I was able to screen a rough cut of the theatrical film, which clocks in just north of two hours, in Vancouver, British Columbia this week. I was on the set of the film twice last year to interview the cast, which includes Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Leelee Sobieski, Ron Pearlman, Claire Forlani, Matthew Lillard, Burt Reynolds and John Rhys-Davies. So it was interesting to see the near-final product.

There are several factors that separate "Dungeon Siege" from debacles like "House of the Dead" and "Alone in the Dark." For one, Boll brought in acclaimed action director and choreographer Tony Ching ("House of Flying Dagger," "Hero") to helm the film's many action sequences. That's worked wonders in the film, which has several massive battles between the Krugs (the human-like monsters from the game) and the King's armies. These battles, which occur in the woods and feature tree fights as well as in the rain at night, have a big budget feel. In fact, the entire movie looks like a $100 million production. The special effects are all top notch. The only thing in the movie that lacks a "Lord of the Rings" feel are the krugs, which at times look like stuntmen in rubber suits rather than monsters.

The other thing that's in Boll's favor are the actors. In the past, Boll has directed actors like Steohen Dorff, Tara Reid and Michelle Rodriguez. This time around, Boll brought in a truly great cast of actors and it shows on screen. While not everyone is on top of their game, John Rhys-Davies, Jason Statham, Ron Pearlman and Leelee Sobieski all deliver solid performances. Ray Liotta is fun to watch as the film's villain, although the actor doesn't need to worry about any new Oscar nods. With so many characters to follow, the story could have been bogged down with boring dialogue--something Boll has not done well in past films--but the pace of this movie moves briskly and there's enough action throughout to keep everything moving forward at a solid pace. This is the first film that Boll has made that I can honestly recommend to people. It's not the best movie ever made, but it is the best movie Boll has ever done. He's certainly come a long way over the years, and faced off against (and even boxed against) very harsh critics.

"Dungeon Siege" has screened at the American Film Institute and several critics have praised the film. Boll has sold the movie to 20th Century Fox for a German release in summer 2007. The movie is expected to open in North America at some point next year, but Boll is still negotiating with movie studios.