Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Northmen - A Viking Saga Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 3, 2015

With the word "saga" comes lofty expectations for something grand, sweeping in scope, lengthy in story, detailed in narrative, broad in exploration, big on characters, full of life. The trusty Mac OS X widget dictionary offers two definitions, one "a long story of heroic achievement, esp. a medieval prose narrative in Old Norse or Old Icelandic" and "a long, involved story, account, or series of incidents." Perhaps it's not fair to judge Northmen - A Viking Saga on runtime alone, then. While it clocks in at just over 90 minutes, it does tell a tale of bravery, of a battle against the odds, of togetherness, and all of the usual bits and pieces that make a "saga." It just does so in a rather condensed fashion. It's also got the "Nordic" angle going for it, but what it doesn't offer is anything creative. No exemplary storytelling, no interesting characters, no novel plot devices. It's essentially a visually shiny, albeit sometimes structurally gritty, story of general adventure and combat. The movie is less about narrative precision and more about action, less about constructing a meaningful story and more about littering the screen with the same flashy fight scenes that have been done a thousand times before. Maybe the film fits the term "saga" in the broadest interpretations of the definitions, but it's hardly worthy of the label as it's more generally understood, particularly in the cinematic realm.

A group of Vikings, led by the muscular Asbjörn (Tom Hopper) and banished from their homeland, are caught in a violent storm and, when their ship is destroyed, wash ashore on the coast of Scotland, a region of Britain with no Viking settlements. Their goal is to head south into more favorable territory, but they run into trouble when they slaughter a caravan and take prisoner the only survivor, the beautiful Princess Inghean (Charlie Murphy), daughter of Scottish King Dunchaid (Danny Keogh). When they hold her for ransom, the king sets the entire might of his army upon them, leaving the Vikings to do what they do best and turn the tables on their pursuers.

The movie looks good -- very good, in fact; resplendent, maybe; in terms of representing basic notions of how the era is perceived and considering its photography and professional sheen -- but its details are wafer-thin. The film tells a story constructed of the most basic parts that see rugged men wandering through beautiful terrain with a beautiful woman in tow and fighting off a number of bad guys both by the skill of their hand and their knowledge of the land. They're, collectively, sort of like ancient John Rambos; much of the last act is little more than crafting traps made of the earth and watching the results thereof play out. But there's not a story to match. Northmen - A Viking Saga plays entirely to the superficial, yielding an impressive amount of spit and polish and great action but never does it go any further. The film is a classic example of one that pleases the senses but doesn't satisfy the soul. That makes it good watching for a lazy afternoon but hardly fit for duty when the mood strikes for something with any dramatic muscle or thematic robustness about it.

Indeed, Northmen - A Viking Saga boils down to combat. The characters may quip and find a little bit of camaraderie, but they're blandly interchangeable, identified almost entirely by look -- hair, armor, weapons -- rather than personality. They're nothing other than bodies that spit out story advancement and trite background-filling dialogue (which is itself limited to a few lines about how they've been "banished" from their homeland and are seeking out a new settlement after crashing ashore). They're figures that capably swing swords, wield daggers, fling arrows, and build traps made of the earth, and generally look good doing it thanks to the combined efforts of muscle, carefully applied dirt, costume, and of course the environment in which they perform. They deliver capable, albeit generic, entertainment. The movie, at least, appears to realize that, despite the label of "saga," there's nothing else to it and it settles for delivering that aspect as well as it can. In that regard, job well done. Just don't expect the next great period Action movie and it should satisfy the itch for mindless olden times Viking combat fun.

Northmen - A Viking Saga Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Northmen - A Viking Saga's 1080p transfer delivers a top-end viewing experience. The digital photography leaves the image looking a bit glossy but in no way is that a hindrance to its core characteristics. Detail is almost consistently exemplary. Outside of a few softer shots, the image produces beautifully crisp and tangibly realistic textures, whether individual grains of sand, complex rock faces, wooded terrain, rough and muddy skins, or complexly ornate and worn-down armor. Image clarity is consistently striking, and the picture is sharp across the frame, even at some distance. Colors largely favor gray and earthy shades but the palette, as presented, is robust and even. Black levels are deep and natural. Flesh tones appear true, even under all of the dirt and debris that covers them. Very mild banding is seen in a couple of early underwater shots and light noise sprinkles into some of the darker and more challenging moments, but overall this is a terrific image that impresses with practically every scene.

Northmen - A Viking Saga Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Northmen - A Viking Saga's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers in a big way. The stage is ever wide and the presentation is always robust. The track opens with realistically heavy driving rain and powerful waves crashing against the ship and all but splashing into the listening area. Every speaker spits out detailed effects for a fully immersive experience. Later action scenes are just as impressive, with general sounds of battle chaos -- clanking swords, heavy horse footfalls, whooshing arrows across the stage -- effectively dropping the listener in the middle of the mayhem. Lighter woodland and, earlier in the movie, seaside ambience is equally immersive and engaging of the entire stage. Music is crisp and nicely spaced, enjoying a full stage presence and a quality low end support. Dialogue is well defined and enjoys consistent center placement.

Northmen - A Viking Saga Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Northmen - A Viking Saga contains one supplement. Northmen: A Look Inside A Viking Saga (1080p, 11:57) offers a standard glimpse into the movie, covering story and character basics, shooting locations, and anecdotes from the shoot.

Northmen - A Viking Saga Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Northmen - A Viking Saga is certainly nowhere near as rich, detailed, exciting, or exacting as Vikings, but for audiences who just want a meat-and-potatoes Action/Adventure film set in this timeframe, it serves admirable duty. Expect nothing more than crisp photography, gorgeous locations, high quality costumes, and robust action and the movie should please. Expect story depth and strong and memorable characters and walk away disappointed. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Northmen - A Viking Saga delivers top-tier video and audio. A single and relatively brief extra is included. Rent or buy at a steep discount.