I'm sure I'm in the minority since this flick seems to be getting rave reviews, so I'll start with the things I DID like: the visuals. Mud, muck, blood, grit -- the visuals all had an "authentic" look that made you feel like you were transported back to that era, and probably in desperate need of a bath. And getting to watch Alexander Skarsgard lumber around half-naked looking brutal had its perks, of course. But ultimately, my enjoyment ended there.
As Stephen King himself pointed out once, "the more we care about the characters, the more human they are to us, the more appealing they are to us. And the more effective the horror tends to be." Whether you classify this as "horror" or not, the sentiment still stands, and honestly, as far as revenge tales go, there was more development in Inigo Montoya's quest to hunt down the man that killed his father than there was in Amleth's thirst for vengeance. Other than one bizarre father/son bonding scene involving drugs and barking like a dog, there was nothing to cement their close bond -- same with his mother (and more on that later). So, really, all we've got for Amleth's backstory is that he was sort of annoying kid and now he's bent on revenge... sort of, except he kind of forgot about it until a creepy witch showed up and reminded him.
The movie tried to wedge in a love story, and I had high hopes for Anya Taylor-Joy's character, especially when she touted herself as being so "clever" she could break men's minds... except then she never DID anything. In fact, her sole role, other than showing up as some Valkyrie fever-dream, was to -- oh right -- eventually bear the male hero's children and found his "dynasty." Yay.
Nicole Kidman's turn as his Mom had some merit, but even then, the "depth" they gave her character was really just to turn her into "evil villainess" and basically a plot-point for Amleth's journey. Then again, pretty much all the characters were just cardboard cutouts shrieking their overwrought lines, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
I've heard comparisons to Hamlet, and also that this is based on some ancient Viking myth, but again, without having a reason to care about anyone in this movie, I was left enjoying the visuals, and even that wore thin after a while. My first thought when it was over was "oh thank god." Had I not been stuck in a movie theater, I would have bailed on this halfway through. Sorry, but even a naked Skarsgard covered in blood isn't enough to save this.
As Stephen King himself pointed out once, "the more we care about the characters, the more human they are to us, the more appealing they are to us. And the more effective the horror tends to be." Whether you classify this as "horror" or not, the sentiment still stands, and honestly, as far as revenge tales go, there was more development in Inigo Montoya's quest to hunt down the man that killed his father than there was in Amleth's thirst for vengeance. Other than one bizarre father/son bonding scene involving drugs and barking like a dog, there was nothing to cement their close bond -- same with his mother (and more on that later). So, really, all we've got for Amleth's backstory is that he was sort of annoying kid and now he's bent on revenge... sort of, except he kind of forgot about it until a creepy witch showed up and reminded him.
The movie tried to wedge in a love story, and I had high hopes for Anya Taylor-Joy's character, especially when she touted herself as being so "clever" she could break men's minds... except then she never DID anything. In fact, her sole role, other than showing up as some Valkyrie fever-dream, was to -- oh right -- eventually bear the male hero's children and found his "dynasty." Yay.
Nicole Kidman's turn as his Mom had some merit, but even then, the "depth" they gave her character was really just to turn her into "evil villainess" and basically a plot-point for Amleth's journey. Then again, pretty much all the characters were just cardboard cutouts shrieking their overwrought lines, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
I've heard comparisons to Hamlet, and also that this is based on some ancient Viking myth, but again, without having a reason to care about anyone in this movie, I was left enjoying the visuals, and even that wore thin after a while. My first thought when it was over was "oh thank god." Had I not been stuck in a movie theater, I would have bailed on this halfway through. Sorry, but even a naked Skarsgard covered in blood isn't enough to save this.
Tell Your Friends