Northmen: A Viking Saga

source: Northmen: A Viking Saga

This is a movie that I liked way more then anyone else. One prime complaint is about rooting for the Vikings and in most cases (see 'Pathfinder') they are not. But just like any other group, there are good Vikings as well and Asbjorn (Tom Hopper), is a good Viking. Why is he good? If you watch the movie you will see he is not really comfortable with the way the Vikings act, and he is really saddened when his men die. Spoilers ahead: Watch the scene where he saves Princess Inghean (Charlie Murphy) from death near the falls. He refuses to abandon her (despite her being a captive), and the favor is returned when she saves him from quicksand. The real bad guys were the Scots especially her father King Dunchaid (Danny Keogh) who hires mercenaries Hjorr (Ed Skrein) and his henchman Bovarr (Anatole Taubman) to kill her, because the Vikings killed to of his best men and captured her, and he did not want to look weak. What also works is the presence of the fighting Christian monk Conall (Ryan Kwanten), and you see how the Vikings, Inghean and Cohall, not only band together, but not only learn from each other in order to survive, but have faith and trust (especially Asbjorn who admits trusting Inghean, and Inghean at the end of the movie has such faith in him, she follows him over a cliff into the water). \The scenery was spectacular, and Charlie Murphy (what a name for a woman) is a knockout. 9/10 stars.

Imagine, you're tired, you're bored, but you don't want to sleep yet. You put on this movie and you think 'Well, it probably sucks and if so, I'll eject the disk and go to sleep'. I thought that at least. But I was pleasantly surprised. Okay, the story isn't that great, sometimes you notice that the budget is a little low and the baddies look like they come out of an 80's movie, even wearing skulls to make it clear that they are truly the baddies. But besides that it also has great fight scenes, good acting (despite the quality of writing) and fantastic scenery. Which kinda surprised me for a non-Anglo-made film. Of course you notice that the cinematography isn't Lord of the Rings quality, but it's not bothersome, some parts are even really easy on the eye. And the fight scenes, OH, the fight scenes. They truly are fantastically coordinated, and the actors obviously tried to make it look as realistic as possible. The only thing that bothered me was that one of the bad guys seemingly wakes up from the dead to be killed one last time. But besides that it is a fun watch. If you are bored, or in for a classic action/adventure movie, I for one recommend watching this. 7/10

I had hoped for so much better! This was an appalling film...hammy sets, dreadful innaccuracies both in costume and setting. Meant to be in Scotland (I am Scottish) and I have never seen such inauthentic locations. Historical facts are dodgey, costumes not good, miss-chosen cast! After seeing such a magnificent interpretation of Viking life in TV series Vikings...this was laughable! SORRY GUYS, but in the UK we are a bit more clued up about it - it happened to us! This film was an insult to Scandinavian Vikings and Scots alike! I have travelled extensively between Denmark and Sweden to research viking history which is very much intermingled with Scottish culture - how can you get it so wrong? Where were the locations? Not Dcotlsnd and that is obvious!!! Wanted to like this - complete rubbish!

"Vikings rip-off", "catching the Vikings success wave" and all those other down-talking phrases might be true. But this movie did not entertain me well because the TV series is a success. It gave me joy and excitement because the genre catches me and because it is well made. There are Vikings in this movie, and it tells a Vikings story - that is nothing that the TV series can claim as a monopoly. It's part of the genre. I am also writing this review with the background of this year's Oscars, elevating the more intellectual movies that I do not neglect their craftsmanship and success - but that were totally boring to me. Northmen is a movie of my liking. And I am sure it will find your excitement too if you like the genre. As such, it is well made. Actors, scenery, fight choreography, costumes and atmosphere offer everything I expected. Little shortcomings of the story are more or less irrelevant to me because I did not expect more. In fact, I expected the story to be simple and genre-like because I just wanted to enjoy an exciting and entertaining Vikings movie. And that what Northmen is all along. Charisma and acting of the main characters will stay in my memory. The casting is excellent and together with the scenic atmosphere and action this movie gave me satisfaction from start to end.

Sometimes the simple things seem to be the most difficult. Like finding your way back home. Then again, even with all the transportation possibilities today some have issues reaching their goal, let alone back when this movie is supposedly playing. It's a decent effort into the viking territory and it has the flair of movies from the 80s, when a group/handful of guys were trying to reach a destination or just try to stay alive. The effects are good, the camera is nice (copying the middle land moves we've learned to love from Peter Jackson, relishing on sights and so forth), the acting is OK too, considering the genre this is playing at and all the clichés involved. It won't be hard to guess what will be coming up most of the time, mixing a lot of known and working formulas, this is a pleasant time waster ...

For a medieval fantasy flick, Northmen does look the part. It has fine cinematography and quite gory battle as the characters literally spend bulk of the movie running and fighting in nice vistas. They, however, lack the appeal or novelty to set up a grand tale it's meant to be, making the tour into foreign land a loud yet bland one. Story revolves around a group of Vikings, or Northmen, as they journey through unfamiliar territory. The group has internal strife and ambition for riches, but none of their story is fully fleshed out. The motives or back stories, even for the antagonist role, are often glossed over. Furthermore, the movie introduces many typical characters such lost princess and the enigmatic priest, each with their own equally monotonous issue. With stack of characters, it's unfortunate that none of them is actually interesting. The actors work with passable acting, but the script is basically told while they are in constant running. It buries the story as they roar and slash their way through. When the supposed dramatic scenes play out, chances are audience wouldn't be invested on these characters. It does possess good visual, camera work and design. There are set pieces that offer decent skirmish, both in daylight or night time. Credit when credit is due, most movies with fantasy theme often become blurry as the fight continues after dawn, but Northmen gives good graphic and lighting even in these instances. Action is presentable as well, bit crude at times, but fits the theme nonetheless. As an action movie, it benefits from above average presentation, however the story doesn't venture beyond the realm of mediocrity.

I love Vikings (the ancient Scandinavian seafarers and the TV series alike…) so I couldn't miss this one. And I was seriously afraid that this could be a major delusion… but it was not! On the contrary: starting from the very beginning when they wake up on Scottish coast, the images, the locations (really amazing), the characters, the fightings and the story completely caught me. Of course it is not a masterpiece. Conall (the monk played by Ryan Kwanten) couldn't help but remind of Athelstan, the plot is far from unpredictable and Darrel D'Silva (Gunnar) kills too many enemies for his age But Ed Skrein once more (have you seen Ill Manors?) is a wonderful bad guy and finds his match in Anatole Taubman as (a great) supporting villain. What more to say? Tom Hopper biceps are mesmerizing, Charlie Murphy is pretty and if you like Vikings you won't be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Northmen. At first I was a bit conflicted, how could I cheer for bloodthirsty Vikings come to pillage Lindisfarne? Well it's easy once the writers conveniently turn the Scots King and his mercenaries into the bad guys, from there on in it's easy. If you've watched a few Viking films in your life you'll next be thinking thank G-d it's not Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas et al camping up the screen. The prospect of a bunch of hams from the Pale via Hollywood overacting looms menacingly, and frankly for a fair few minutes you wonder if this is merely a modern update of the same old swill and will it stop short of the silly hats and comedy of Xena. But no, it redeems itself almost from the moment the wolf pack who resemble orcs from LOTR in both appearance and demeanour leave to rescue the kidnapped princess IF they can, if they must. Our plucky heroes are joined by a kung fu staff fighting Christian monk, our princess turns out to have the gift and the race is on to see how many of the cast will survive to the end credits. We are taken across a picturesque albeit mostly barren landscape filled with danger and traps for both sides. The chase is artfully interrupted every so often by every trope ever from a buddy action film, which given the subject matter, is not a bad thing. While not Ibsen or Shakespeare, the script manages to paint the Vikings with a delicate balance between posturing warriors and a misunderstood people capable of honour and compassion. At one point our hero informs the Princess that not all Vikings are nearly as bad as made out to be, a master stroke in facial expression and delivery that in the hands of a lesser actor would have brought us shuddering right back to Ernest Borgnine eloquence. Though if only for a laugh, it would have been nice to have one of them let go a long loud anguished RAGNAR! The action is well staged and the pacing wonderful, far from the super gore of The 300, this manly exercise is the answer to the question what if they made Lord of the Rings without wizards, orcs or demon wraith Kings. Shot in the same style and feel as LOTR, costumed and cast with believable Vikings and Scots, The Northmen is one of those fun cool films you'll enjoy over and over again. With just a hint of 1950's flavour, this German production sets us up at the end for a sequel in the Danelaw. Stick around for the end credits to hear Viking Metal songs by Amon Amarth which are the perfect way to cap off this film. Terrific little action flic for boys of every age, don't pass this one by. I sincerely hope they make that sequel.

Excellent cinematography and great cast elevate this well above the usual fair. The performances are strong throughout and Tom Hopper is a great leading man in the style of Chris Hemsworth. Overall a very good adventure movie directed with great flair by Claudio Fah. Looks like a much bigger budget than it was. Fight scenes handled with confidence. The production values were consistently high class, with notable scenes in forests, caves and swamps all looking suitably authentic and not remotely TV standard like so many other things. Comparisons to the TV show seem unfair as this stands on its own merits as a story. The TV show often feels padded and stretched whereas this moves at a good pace and doesn't outstay its welcome.