The Dead Lands

The Dead Lands (2014) is Toa Fraser's New Zealand action-adventure you can watch online on iFILM. Set in pre-colonial New Zealand during the Maori tribal wars, it follows teenage Hongi, the only survivor left to answer a treacherous massacre of his people.

Hongi is a chieftain's son — still a boy, and a poor fighter. The warriors of Wirepa who slaughtered his tribe outnumber him many times over. His one road to vengeance runs through the forbidden Dead Lands, a region rumored to hide a monster. What he finds there is a lone exiled warrior (Lawrence Makoare) who has let no one near for years. Their alliance is fragile, and every clash plays out as brutal hand-to-hand combat with traditional weapons like the mere and taiaha.

Performed almost entirely in the Maori language, the film shows the culture from the inside, with real haka and ritual rather than exotic decoration. It's a treat for fans of fierce, earthy action in the vein of Gibson's Apocalypto, where stunning landscape meets unflinching violence. Stream The Dead Lands (2014) online on iFILM.