CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
cowboyerik
This title should be better that's it's under 5 rating. I think it's well done. Very well done. It deals with a narrow subject, in a narrow time, a savage time really. A small cast, and little no set production and only minimal costume design, this things are made up for with excellent photography, camera work, sound, acting and script, the hallmarks of talent and skill combined to make a low budget epic that will build it's own reputation and appreciated in time. It is worth seeing and is not terribly long. It's length is correct and could have been expanding upon with longer beginning and longer ending frankly. I think it was shortened for cinema.
Antaine O'hAongusa
It may have been a low budget film but it would have cost nothing to get a few people around a table with the script before filming. Come on, how many film clichés do you have to put into one film. I nearly stopped watching at one point because it was getting so bad. After each scene (and there weren't that many) I found myself asking 'would this have actually happened?'. I answered each time, 'highly unlikely'. The ending was just too funny for words. The acting was OK but I would have preferred some attempt at a Norse/Danish accent from the Vikings. I was just grateful in the end that there weren't any Americans involved (nothing personal, but American actors should never be allowed near historical productions). Finally, Vikings wearing chain mail at that time period? I doubt it.
DBLurker
I think I know why this movie is getting such a bad rating.1) WAY too much talking and walking: It's like, they took the walking and talking parts of the LOTR and forgot to do anything interesting with either of them. This isn't a exciting adventure. They are just going from Point-A to Point-B while in between them they meet like 1 viking and all other are just neutral NPC's.2) The talking: I am all for character development and this movie does it well with the young monk.. sort of. But other than that, the rest of the dialog is between monk and random people talking about his book and word of POWER (or something like that). Seriously, they talk way too much about same thing over and over in the whole damn movie.3) The action: It's terrible. Just awful. They try to jazz it up by throwing in slow-mo and of course, overused sound effects in post production. But the fact is, like 2 of the actors had threatening, warrior-like look and both were playing vikings. Rest are just comically bad, especially when they start fighting.4) The Rambo Monk: Everyone saw it coming, and they finally turn him into one in the end. The kiddy monk goes crazy and takes on two vikings (and actually manages to kick ass of a trained viking soldier.. yeah) and then when close to death, is magically saved by 'his god'.. who apparently sends a pagan (yes, the same people 'his god' told to butcher) to save his arse in the end. Ironic and just.. lame.5) The invincible knight: The Aragon, I mean, the knight with the monk.. I didn't care to remember his name.. thinks he is invincible. First he tells a pagan that her people should be butchered for worshiping OLD GODS, then he proceeds to ignore the fact she just saved his monks life and refuses her aid in healing his wounds. He heals magically by just sleeping, survives getting stabbed left and right. The power of Christ keeps him running like Duracell batteries, unlike Vikings, who get stabbed and die when sword goes inside their bodies.In the end, the only reason I am giving it a 4 and not a 2, is because of cinematography.. which is good enough, not the best but OK. Also, some violence is pretty authentic (esp. the monk rape.. didn't see that coming) looking.Should you watch it? If you have nothing else to watch (like I didn't), yeah. Else don't bother. Nothing new or interesting going on here.. except the monk rape. Which is funny and WTF moment, at the same time.
ivorybishop
Solid acting performances and some riveting cinematography have gone under appreciated in this dark, gritty tale of medieval monks running for their lives.Paul Jibson gave a really good performance but, sadly, we get to see to little of him in my opinion. I think he should have been cast in a longer lasting role.Mark Lewis Jones gives a solid showing as the grizzled warrior trying his damnedest to save the monks from the vikings and their own stupidity.Marc Pickering plays the coming of age monk trying to live as the monk amidst the reality of viking assaults. He commands a solid understanding of his role and leaves you wanting more.Jibson, Jones, and Pickering really deliver and I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.This good movie, while not perfect, is worthy of a watch if you are into medieval pieces.
