Better Than Advertised

Rating: 6/10 (16 November 2001)

This movie got a great deal of flak from "professional" movie reviewers, so I put off seeing it for quite some time. I found much of the criticism unwarranted.
The film is one of the better book adaptations I've seen, and it should be - The Eater of the Dead's author, Michael Crichton, also penned the movie script. Though the first few sequences seemed rushed, the overall pacing and tone of the film are very effective. The scenery is lush (it's so nice to see a movie that's filmed primarily on location for a change), the sets remarkable, and the costumes excellent. Though Antonio Banderas is miscast as Ibin Fahdlan, he does a decent job with the part. The real stars of the movie, however, are the mighty Norsemen. Vladimir Kulich, Dennis Storhøi, and the raucous but noble host of others embody every boyhood dream of what Vikings should be. The only distraction from this party of merry warriors is their various nationalities lead to various accents. Oh well. They sure look the part and look as though they're having the times of their lives.
The "monsters" are effective, but somewhat underwhelming. The battle scenes, choreographed well by director John McTiernan (Die Hard), are engrossing, and they are the reason I rented the movie in the first place. Enjoy!