Entertaining for some, cliche medieval saga for others

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 1999)

Well I actually did not know about the background of the movie before i went to see it other than it was based on a Micheal Crichton book. As soon as the movie had started, I realized that i had previously read the book, Eaters Of The Dead, which it was based on. That said, i watched the movie knowing the general plotline of the story. Crichton himself took the story from the Beowulf saga, much of which i have actually gone over in the old english. If you have studied any old english, you've probably heard of the story as some of the earliest manuscripts written in English are the tales of Beowulf. It's an interesting saga, and if that's your thing, you might find it interesting to check out.
In any case, the movie itself came across as your typical medieval saga. The characters were not as interesting as i would have hoped. There are items thrown in that play no role, such as an apparent love interest that never develops. In general i can say that this is not the best film and won't be on anyone's oscar lists, well, maybe for costumes. That said, I still enjoyed the movie. It was fun for me, but i think more because i knew the background and i've always had some kind of interest in these big sagas, even though they never live up to expectations. I recommend reading the book, Eaters of the Dead, and maybe checking out the beowulf saga a little. The movie will definitely be entertaining for some, but if you're hoping for a film masterpiece, this it is not.