Good Action But Misses The (Book)Mark

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2003)

Originally written 19 September 1999; moved account
I went to the film prepared to be disappointed. You see, I read "Eater's of the Dead" years ago and it remains one of my favorite Crichton books. It is imaginative and masterful. I always wondered why it had never been made into a film as Crichton's other books had. When I saw the production announcement I eagerly awaited news and was disappointed early on with stories that the book had been greatly compromised and they had coped out early with a name change.
Hollywood didn't disappoint me. As expected the film was a pale shadow of the book. The entire premise of Neanderthals surviving into the middle ages was completely lost in this silly characterization of some lesser unnamed bad guys.
Also conspicuous by its absence was the uninhibited rampant sexuality of the Northmen. The sanitization of this aspect of the book just added to the disappointment.
Some of the fight sequences were well done, with some of the better two-handed swordsmanship I have seen on film. Some of the actors portraying the Vikings were surprisingly good too. In that regard I would have to say that the casting was quite good and the single saving grace of the film's effort. They almost made up for some of the other shortfalls, but not quite. This could have been a remarkable film, but Hollywood again chose mediocrity. I would score it a bit above Hollywood's average though for the sets, costumes, swordplay and the great scenery.