David McK (3425 KP) rated The Northman (2022) in Movies
May 18, 2022
Been quite a bit of hype for it over here in Northern Ireland (perhaps because some of it was filmed here), which might explain why the showing I went to was absolutely jam packed - the most people I've seen in a screen since even before Covid times.
Unfortunately, and for me, the film also fell rather 'flat': I actually spent more time scanning the background to see if I could spot any familiar faces (and locations) than concentrating on the (slow, plodding) action unfolding in the foreground.
It's no secret that the plot owes much to the Icelandic sagas that inspired 'Hamlet' (or, in more modern terms, 'The Lion King'), with Alexander Skarsgard Viking protagonist on a mission of revenge against his uncle, who killed his father and stole his mother.
Perhaps that is why I (and most of those I saw this with) weren't all that impressed: basically, we've all seen it before! Well, that, and the fact the the finale felt like something out of 'Revenge of the Sith' ...
(We were also all in agreement that it would have been better if the more supernatural elements of the story had been toned down).
All this is not to say that it's a bad film, per se: just not at all what we were expecting or had been sold on by the trailers.
The Bletchley Riddle
Steve Sheinkin and Ruta Sepetys
8.0
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Book
A stunning collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve...
Die With Glory
Games and Entertainment
App
Die with Glory is an epic adventure game where your goal is to die in glorious fashion. You must...
Re-Enacting the Past: Heritage, Materiality and Performance
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What is re-enactment and how does it relate to heritage? Re-enactments are a ubiquitous part of...
The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories #2)
8.0
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Book
The second installment of Bernard Cornwell’s New York Times bestselling series chronicling the...
The Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail
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Since the Viking ascendancy in the Middle Ages, the Atlantic has shaped the lives of people who...
Incomplete Book of Dragons
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Long ago, the world was full of dragons. But what happened to them? Where are they now? These pages...
An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)
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Many of us were put off history by the dry and dreary way it was taught at school. Back then 'The...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Where Gods Fear to Go in Books
Apr 15, 2020
There are some shock twists spread throughout the book, a number of unexpected deaths, some long-anticipated ones and some excellent character interaction,
My favourite aspect of these books has been the wonderful narration with such with and humour. The story is not a hostage to the humour but these are books that refuse to take themselves too seriously.
There are some brilliant thrilling set piece sequences in this book and while there was something of a dip around the halfway point it really kept my engagement and enjoyment up throughout.
Given the brutal covers these books really surprised me, being touching, funny (at times just plain daft) and highly original. If ever the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" was to apply to a specific series it is this one. Fans of epic fantasy will love the story, fans of Pratchett and Abercrombie will love the wit and dialogue.