Vikingdom

Any Viking movies will always picture the Viking as giant of a human being and they live bare-chested in a country that is covered by snow. There is not much CGI in this movie except maybe the "colossal type army gathering" which cause the earth to tremble.

If you want to see a huge muscular male, then this is the right movie. These Vikings do not seem to feel the cold. To make it more ridiculous, you have a Chinese kungfu master to from time to time talking in Mandarin and able to beat a person who is twice his size with his kungfu movement. And of course you have a girl who is so skinny but yet so powerful and of course she has to wear something like a bikini in the land where the snow is falling. Now, how great is that.

Again, even when you make a fantasy movie, try to make something which is reasonable. A tiny girl beating a giant Viking does not make sense. The story is simple, so to extend the movie time, the scenes were extended to the point of boring. The war takes too long, the sailing takes too many minutes to make it relevant to the plot.

I said earlier that there is very little CGI. In fact it is too little that a little bit more would be welcome. A gory fight without blood is not very interesting. But then again, what would you expect from a B grade movie with some body builders acting ? A vote of 2 is too much already, but I like the girl...

I know it is labeled fantasy, but nevertheless, I would expect a certain degree of authenticity.

On the positive side - The county I live in (Trøndelag) and my city of birth (Trondheim) is mentioned. I noticed some of the archers were carrying their arrows in hand, that would be the way it was done, at least while fighting. The plot and dialogue is not terrible.

On the negative side - Just about everything else. Costumes, weaponry, props, SFX. As an example: The hero use a sword type that would come into play 3-4 century's after the era of the viking. Other weapons are just fantasy props.

To be honest, is this one of those movies you don't know whether it is supposed to be a parody or taken "seriously"

One reviewer told kids to grow up...I am 42 years old, and I enjoy a GOOD film in any genre. This was not one of them.

First of all, i would like to congratulate the effort given by the KRU production. It is not an easy task to come up with a large scale movie set especially when you trying to make a viking movie on malaysian geographical landscape. I couldn't have imagined the hardship and difficulties they have to overcome to create a similar background and weather condition that is to the Nordics. But as usual the storyline is awful. And what with the zombies and the hound of hell? The creature is the worst i have seen in all 'B' grade monster movie. The person who made that creature sure rips you off your money. It is like a monster from a five year old dream. Or it could have been inspired by a project made by a five year old. The action is okay, nothing unusual or captivating. You can actually guess what parts will be freeze or slow mo during the fighting sequence. Shame because there is a lot of potential actors here. Another thing to ridicule about this movie is the hairpiece the vikings are using. It looks so fake a child could point it out. Nevertheless, i enjoyed watching it and making fun of it just like when i watch piranaconda or sharknado. It could have become a great movie if it is released way back in the 80 s and it is black and white. That way it is flawless. But producing this kind of movie in 2013, is sure not making any Malaysian proud. Maybe some are but definitely not me.

The film was cast in several places, including Bangkok, Thailand. Along with dozens of erstwhile actors, I auditioned for a part. Knowing many of the final cast members, and others who were not successful, I got some inside information. The entire production process was incoherent. Casting was done in the worst of weather, during the Bangkok rainy season. Casting was done on rooftops while it was raining. More casting was done with thunder and lightning in the background. A portent of things to come. Accommodations for actors varied wildly. Some had to pay their way in Malaysia, and others had to pay for their own hotel. At least one actor was hired and, for his character, had his entire body shaved, and covered with henna tattoos. When he walked onto the set, he was dismissed, without explanation, and had to pay for his return to Bangkok. Worse, many of the actors and contractors were either not paid at all, or only paid a fraction of what was due. After the filming was completed, and the facts of KRU's lack of professionalism becomes apparent, I was happy that my audition was unsuccessful.

Props for creating Norway in a tropical climate. Is this equal to The Last Kingdom? Definitely not but if you love fantasy and Viking lore, there are worse ways to spend a few hours. It was nice to see Dominic Purcell in a role in which he has hair.