Don't criticize the vikings! / ASOIAF confirmed!!

UPDATE2:
Holy SH*T! It's confirmed by GRRM himself!
grrm.livejournal.com/95840.htm…
Addy as Robert will do. (Even though Brian Blessed in his younger day would be better)
Joffrey and Viserys seem well chosen.
Dude playing Jon Snow is unknown, but looks good for the part and might surprise.

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UPDATE: I've just read a rumor (from a legit source it says) that Sean Bean has been cast as Ned Stark for the Song of Ice and Fire TV pilot! Please please please, I wish it was true!

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I found a DVD yesterday with the film "13th Warrior" and watched it. I was 13 when the movie was released in 1999 and I remember I liked it back then.

I was surprised how much I liked it this time as well - then I checked a few movie websites and it has some really harsh reviews and ratings. I'm not sure why though.
People point out historically incorrect equipment of the vikings. Ehm, sure, some of them wear clearly 16th century armour and one has a gladiator helmet. But you know what? Screw that. Yes. I hate when that happens in other movies, things like that ruined Gladiator for me. But here I didn't mind at all.

People seem to be confused about the genre of the film. They compare it to Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and other epic-scale historical blockbusters. They say it's inaccurate (hmm, I wonder how many of the critics actually know what they're talking about), that the script is poorly written and the battles confusing.
It's not a huge historical epos - the battles are mostly small fights (except the last one) and of course they're confusing and messy - battles tend to be like that. People like seeing everything clearly, enjoy the (unrealistic) choreography and watch people die without any visible wounds and with a small amount of blood around the mouth.
The story is obviously based on Beowulf and it draws from the diary of the muslim traveller Ibn Fadlan. Sure, not everyone has read Beowulf and I'm sure not everyone can spot the parallels, but I don't think it makes the story confusing or bad.
My favourite critics were those who felt that combining Arabs and vikings is stupid, because that's like, you know, mixing different time periods. I can only roll eyes to that.

Anyway, I won't spoiler the story, but I think the idea with Eaters of the Dead is pretty cool.

Why do I like the movie so much?
It has atmosphere. It's so packed with atmosphere that it's oozing and spurting out. Misty forests, rainy mountains and one of the best soundtracks ever by Jerry Goldsmith.
It's a well mixed blend of historical facts, pure fantasy, little bits of mystery and horror, and absolute viking badassery. All the viking characters are likeable, Antonio Banderas is surprisingly good and Vladimir Kulich as Buliwyfe could give lectures in kicking ass.
And while being awesome and badass, it's not affected or silly. Someone's comment about it said: "watch Braveheart instead".
I say: "Don't watch Braveheart, it's crap."

Sure, it's not the best film ever. But it's a good film with memorable scenes, music and atmosphere.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Vm0I… - a little taste. Might be a bit of a spoiler.

What about you, have you seen it? Did you like it?

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I'm getting closer to 50 000 pageviews. I'll draw a commision for anyone who makes a screenshot of that 50k pageview.

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