Virgin Territory - Movie Review

Taking place in Florence during one of the most disastrous period of time-Black Death, ‘Virgin Territory’ tells the story of young Florence aiming to escape from the deadly disease. This film is adapted from Boccaccio’s The Decameron but shifts into a raucously carnal comedy. Let alone the main characters of a bawdy nun and a nobleman who also has affairs to attend to, the film tells a rich comedic story of how these and other playful characters get up to much more than merely trying to survive the plague.

The film is centered around the playfulness of youth and the desire to live, to fornicate—amidst a background of historical catastrophe: a comedy in tragedy. The mood of the film is jolly and audacious, navigating the comic bullshit and high-stake affectations of amour by the way of farce. Instead of existential concerns about the shallowness of life, the audience gets a romp filled with comedy and sexuality.

Overall the stars Mischa Barton and Hayden Christensen are eye candy and give the film the lift it needs. Naturally, Hayden brings some zaniness to his role of Lorenzo, and Mischa’s Pampinea also fluctuates between the naivety and the sensual playfulness. Though they did not attempt to give Oscar-deserving performances, the spark between them makes this comedy movie enjoyable. Cameos provide color and comedy guarantee that the ensemble assists in elevating the film’s fun tone.

One can attest that David Leland tried to swim against the historical references to bring more contemporary spunk into the picture. Others may quarrel that the game does not have much penetration here, yet due to the multifaceted performance of Leland who can combine satire with the historical background, it gives the user an excellent experience. His execution suits the crazy and jolly that is the storyline, making the movie appealing to its target group of funny period movies fans.

The music plays a great part in Virgin Territory as it reflects the humor of the movie and its-cheerful tones throughout. It enhances the comedy perfectly well, which provides the trumpeting notes during moments of enjoyment and celebration. It is not very impacting but it does a decent job of backing the cheerful atmosphere of the movie from start to finish The film takes the viewers on a rather picturesque travel across Italy and its landscapes are bright and cheerful. Cinematography plays high on the film’s celebration of the age of romanticism and its lush and stormy part of the world, adding significantly to the theme of escape from plague-drenched realities.

Art direction is rich in nostalgic Florentine context and humorously contemporary at the same time. Specific locations are used to ground the film in the 14th-century context and to add some visual appeal when the tone becomes frothy and lighthearted with colourful backdrops reminiscent of wooden beams and intricate costumes.

Nonetheless, special effects are well integrated into the film’s context and do not overwhelm viewers with the comedy and amorousness of the story. The tension from the overall practical setting increases on the movie’s historicity while not overly relying on flashy touch, scenes involving character-comedy pranks and romantic follies are the main focus.

The editing rhythm is also appropriate for the comedic romance flick and does not cause drag or haste. Transitions between scenes are smooth and the continuity seems logical which corresponds well to such a pace of an adventure-comedy. Though, one might get occasional sensation of some parts that probably should have been better trimmed to fit the humor timing more precisely.

Virgin Territory is well-paced, its pacing is constant, as fits the generally uplifting mood of the show. This aspect is well framed to suit the pace of the film with usory interruption in plots richness to incorporate adequate comic crossings. There is also consistent forward movement, which helps especially in preserving the entertaining pace and the audience’s attention.

The peppy dialogue here is predominantly of a humorous nature, adventurous, and crude in content. It complements the film’s mood and helps make audiences chuckle and unleash character’s inner demons simultaneously. At times the script seems extremely contrived to put in some cheap dialogues but for the most part it complements the mischievous nature of the narrative.

In a nutshell, Virgin Territory tries to provide ample amount of fun for the audience who is interested in the taste of racy humor and an ensemble of whimsical adventures while failing to deliver a thought provoking plot. It painted the empire as didapated and could put off more sophisticated viewers seeking depth instead of racy jokes. However, the movie is very good of portraying this light spirited nature which is very comical in spite of its raunchiness. They are able to have fun on the magical and romantic journey solving puzzles while enjoying the beautiful view, even if it does not bring viewers highly intellectual messages and characterized characters. Definitely an entertaining and quirky movie although for those looking for deep philosophies you may be left disappointed.