Vikingdom

Went to see the movie on 14th September here in Malaysia and I really can't say much about this movie except that it could have been a better movie if the KRU brothers could have a couple of more millions to spend on this film. The storyline is interesting portraying the god ThoR as the main enemy...I wonder what's Chris hemsworth think about this bad version of Thor. From the main characters to the supporting cast I fell that they are lacking of charisma and energy in this Viking flick. Probably all the fake wig disturbing their acting skills. hehehe. i love Dominic Purcell in prison break and killer elite but it seems that I don't feel the energy or the charisma that he portrays in this movie. Jon foo is lousy in his fake mandarin and his fighting scenes are average compared to his Tekken movie which is cool in its own way. Some of the set design are better of stay inside a school Theather production. It's like one of those early P Ramlee movies. Overall i do have to tell you that this is a good start for A Malaysian film company to show what they can offer to the international movie community. Kudos to the Kru brothers.

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.

Vikingdom is not the piece-of-whatever-with-no-redeeming-values that it has been said to be in previous negative reviews, and when it comes to Thor-related movies it is nowhere near as bad as Almighty Thor(honestly if there was a movie where the piece-of-whatever-with-no-redeeming-values term applies it's that one). Vikingdom has a cool opening sequence, Craig Fairbrass brings dignity to his character far out-shining the rest of the actors, Natassia Malthe is a beauty and is not a complete blank as an actress at any rate and the movie had a clever concept going for it. Sadly it was a concept that deserved better execution. The rest of the acting doesn't come across well at all, John Foo does try and has some good karate-like moves but his acting is not as natural. He is at least better than Conan Stevens and especially Dominic Purcell, Thor's cheap-looking hammer here had more subtlety than Stevens' acting(here Thor is all moody and angry and no other emotions) and Purcell's lead performance is devoid of any expression or involvement whatsoever other than staring into space in a just-had-a-quick-fix sort of way. The music is constant monotone sluggishness and repetition, and often it is at odds with the style and mood of the movie, while the characters are simplistically drawn with shallow personalities and the script is horrendously stilted and is not sure whether it wants to sound archaic or modern because it became across as an awkward hybrid of both. The story had real potential, but was quite dull and drawn out with some scenes that felt like filler but didn't need to be there, there were also some good ideas that were not fully explored. The worst asset about Vikingdom were the production values, there are low-budget movies out there that are decent with in some instances acceptable production values but these production values ranged from bizarre(the garish mish-mash of costumes and make-up) and awful(the underground basement-like sets, especially the castle interiors, and the wigs that would even give Bride of Frankenstein's hair a real fright). The camera work and editing really hinder the action sequences going way overboard with the slow-motion, the limited colour palette the movie is shot and lit in are both garish and over-saturated and that further adds to how hard on the eyes the movie looks. And you cannot comment on Vikingdom without mentioning the laughably plastic props and jaw-droppingly bad special effects, especially the papier-mâché-like creature that you weren't sure whether it was meant to be a dog or a dragon(it didn't really convince as either). Overall, loved the idea but the execution left much to be desired. 3/10 Bethany Cox