Vikings + art house = wtf?
Anyone seen it?
It's sitting there in my Netflix instant queue, but just haven't sat down and watched it yet, to many other things I keep giving priority
Be prepared to be bored... lots... and confused... even more
Loads of potential, brutal violence and some stunningly bleak Scottish landscapes [and it is that bleak lol] but as Mynameisjake nailed it... wtf sums it up perfectly
I LOVE viking movies and this should have ticked my boxes on a number of levels... but its pretentious art haus pish as we say here in the north.
BD
Well, to each their own. I quite liked it. I thought it had some beautiful cinematography, I loved the spartan quality to everything (including the dialogue; the main character never even speaks), and the premise was interesting.
Apparently there were some runic inscriptions (or other signs that vikings made it further south than Canada on the east coast), and this whole movie plays out as a big "what might have happened to such an expedition". There's also lots of symbolism; some Heart of Darkness overtones w/ the invaders vs natives; and even some mythic undertones to the main character and his sacrifice.
I also enjoyed a movie that was made on a small budget and decidedly not something that Hollywood would have put out. Props on that score. Even the music, when it hit, was pretty cool.
I wonder if all movies have to fall into the "big Hollywood blockbuster" or "pretentious art house film" (false) dichotomy.
It's also got a very post-modern sensibility and sense of humor.
And here's the obligatory YMMV these kinds of threads generate...
@BenS: You might want to spoiler what you mention about the lead character in your first sentence. That is kind of a surprise that shouldn't be "spoiled" for a new viewer.
It's sitting there in my Netflix instant queue, but just haven't sat down and watched it yet, to many other things I keep giving priority
In the brief moments when I wasn't bored, confused, annoyed, or dumbfounded, I saw some flashes of real brilliance. The cinematography was excellent, and I like the lead actor (who was working under some very serious...constraints).
It's worth seeing if only for the opportunity to ask yourself, and anyone else who has seen it, "WTF was that supposed to mean?!"
And it does have one good laugh in it.
@BenS: You might want to spoiler what you mention about the lead character in your first sentence. That is kind of a surprise that shouldn't be "spoiled" for a new viewer.
Too late now, I'm afraid. But I'm not sure I agree that needed to be spoilered. It's not a plot twist; it's evident early and throughout the whole film.
I fell asleep half-way thru and never restarted it. So boring...
However, the movie "Arn: The Knight Templar" is very good (I thought so, anyway). While its not a true "viking" movie, he is Swedish.
I fell asleep half-way thru and never restarted it. So boring...
However, the movie "Arn: The Knight Templar" is very good (I thought so, anyway). While its not a true "viking" movie, he is Swedish.
+1 for Arn as it was far more watchable and move at a less glacial pace.
While not a true "viking" movie as such it did deal with establishment of the Kingdom of Sweden [in a fashion]
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I was lukewarm to this movie. There is plenty to like about the production, but the story tends to plod along at the pace of a dying man. That may have been a conscience decision by the director given the script, which is oppressively dark and somber.
If you decide to watch it, I recommend also viewing Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972.) Valhalla Rising doesn't measure up to Aguirre, but the stories are similar enough to draw comparison.
BIG Spoiler with Questions
One Eye's decision to head west, I believe, had more to do with his prophetic dreams and a desire to meet his fate. He was simply heading toward the location where he would die. I think One Eye's similarities to Odin are fairly obvious so it makes sense he would go to meet death without fear knowing he was bound for Valhalla. The title of Chapter 5, Hell, I think, comes from the Crusaders' prespective that One Eye had led them to the pit. Most of the chapter titles reflect Christian perspectives despite One Eye's obvious connection to Norse religion.
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this movie was absolute crap... if you don't want to waste 2 hours of your life in utter bored/frustration (an emotion that is slightly above a really bad tooth ache on the annoyance meter) save yourself the trouble and go see that witch movie with Nicholas Cage and the guy who did Hellboy... (that was a good movie, IMO, and I quote my friend: "this was very in line with what RPG addicts like us would like to see")
Good Stuff
Hadn't made the connection (that you made in your spoiler). Seems so obvious now. Duh.
[Spoiler=Another Question]What was your take on the Crusader who got captured and returned, painted as a native and spouting cryptic comments like "hearing" what One Eye was thinking?
If One Eye = Odin, then does that make Are (The Kid) an oracle? And, if so, is the fact that he just seems to make things up a comment on prophets/religion/etc.?[Spoiler]
I will say this, if you are looking for an action movie, then just watch the preview, that has about all the action for the entire movie in it. Yes, the film is extremely slow moving, and both me and my wife were glad we had our laptops handy to do something else during most of the movie.
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Barde (the crusader who wanders off alone and returns with red skin and covered in runes,) I believe, was simply mad. Believing he was in Hell and abandoned by God, broke him. We never see what happens after he leaves the group so we can only guess. My guess is he tossed down his sword because he figured it would be useless to him in Hell. He may have spotted the natives from a distance prompting him to mimic their appearance as a self-defense mechanism (Batesian mimcry,) but the runes (and his subsequent mocking of the crusader leader)indicate he may have reverted to his pre-Christian beliefs and was using the runes to protect himself. I don't think he could actually read One Eye's mind but, in his madness and despair, believed he could. Doom and death seemed like the only fate waiting for the crusaders so that's what he believed One Eye was thinking.
The kid, Are, was an oracle in a symbolic sense, but not in a real sense. He wasn't any more psychic than Barde, but he knew One Eye better than anyone and probably had a much better sense of the man. I think all of his insights were mixed bits of history, superstition and bluffing to save his own skin. It's possible he'd heard One Eye was from across the ocean and that the elders believed he was some sort of monster so he put two and two together claiming One Eye's homeland was Hell. Because of the time period (about 1000AD,) it's entirely possible One Eye was a survivor from some destroyed village in Greenland, which would qualify as "across the ocean" if they were in Norway.
The only things in the movie with any real weight of fantasy are One Eye's dreams and those, I think, are better explained as a tool for conveying his spiritual journey/acid trip. One Eye is sort of an avatar of Odin but not in a magical Messianic sense. In a lot of ways, I think One Eye represents the decline of the Norse culture. Early in the film, one of the tribal leaders says he's never been anyone's property longer than five years indicating he gets passed on from tribe to tribe the way history and religion get passed from generation to generation. Later, a group of Christians removes him from Scandinavia. Eventually, he dies quietly the way many cultures and religions seem to just vanish as time progresses. However, it's interesting to note the only two characters who choose to follow One Eye to the ocean are seen surrounded by an aura of light in their final scenes.
The old man, Kare, who dies alone on the hill, turned his back on his leader to follow One Eye. Before he dies, he says he was going to Jerusalem to join his sons who died in the Crusades, but I never got the feeling he was doing it entirely out of faith in God. If the crusader leader (I think his name was Hagen) represents Christianity/progress and One Eye represents Norse Culture/tradition, then it would seem Kare's death at the halfway point to the ocean signifies a happy medium between the two. Kare, afterall, died content and seemed ready to meet his sons in Valhalla, Heaven or wherever they might be.
Are, the kid, on the other hand, followed One Eye all the way to the ocean and even sees a vision of the warrior across the sea after he dies. Are, being the only member of the party to survive (and the only other character besides One Eye who was a pagan) seems to indicate the old ways might die but they are never forgotten so long as someone is left to remember. It's kind of cliché, but whatever.
The auras seen around Kare and Are, I think, were simply a visual cue that a revelation had been made by both characters similar to how a person on a drug trip might claim to gain some spiritual insight from their journey.
That's probably a lot more thought than the movie deserves and I'm probably wrong about most of it, but sometimes trying to figure these things out can make a mediocre film much more interesting.
For the OP, if you haven't seen it yet, I'll reiterate. The film is slow, there is little action and you'll likely find it to be self-important, thought provoking or just incredibly dull depending on your taste in film. The same director made 2008's Bronson, which is an awesome film if you get the urge to check out some of his other work.
However, the movie "Arn: The Knight Templar" is very good (I thought so, anyway). While its not a true "viking" movie, he is Swedish.
The books are better. ;)
What I want to know is how much did they have to pay Clive Cussler who owns the copyright on the title?
I imagine they didn't have to pay Mr. Cussler anything since you can't copyright a title.
In other news, I completely forgot that Mynameisjake is the OP making my previous post seem rather oblivious.
Don't feel to bad, apparently I can't master the use of spoiler tags, Doh!
@David Fryer: Just be prepared for very slooooooow plot development. In fact, just tell yourself to ignore the entire concept of "plot." Valhalla Rising reminds me of Felini's Satyricon, the only movie to actually make my head hurt. As a whole, I'd rather have a root canal than watch it again, but, like Valhalla, certain scenes and imagery are totally brilliant. The viewer just has to be willing to slog through a lot of WTF to get to them.
For those that enjoyed this movie, I might suggest a world war 2 movie for you. A Thin Red Line.
I saw that a slow film based on a very slooooooow book
However, the movie "Arn: The Knight Templar" is very good (I thought so, anyway). While its not a true "viking" movie, he is Swedish.The books are better. ;)
Good to know...I may have to pick them up.
Thanks for the tip!