Viking, la naissance d’une nation

The long-awaited film from Russia did not stand up to the quality of the trailer, but it is still a great spectacle from a Viking setting, which, not counting the series The Last Kingdom and Vikings, has almost no competition. Visually, this is probably the best thing the Russians have ever made. All the colors, the setting, the costumes and the whole production design is breathtaking. The acting is also good, there is quite a bit of action and it is properly gritty, clearly shot and spectacular. My only criticism is the longer running time and the not very interesting story, which didn't draw me in as much as I expected, but hats off to it nonetheless. 75% (13/04/2017)

A historical action thriller set in the Viking Age. And a Russian production at that. It's not bad, but while watching the movie, you'll feel like everything that could be expected is there and there's nothing much extra. The violence that is depicted here seemed to me to be violence for its own sake, for effect rather than for any other reason, and the characters didn't interest me. (16/06/2017)