The main problem with this film isn't historical inaccuracy, but that is one problem. I won't go into details of how inaccurate this film was historically, but here's a summary; clothes are a ridiculous mix of History Channel Vikings tier biker gear and renaissance fair women's gowns, men in eyeliner and not wearing helmets in battle. "Shieldmaidens" (eye roll) galore and modern atheist/humanist attitudes toward religion and sacrifice among the actual pagans!
Even with all the nonsense, which removes any historical value, the film could at least have been a fun but silly action movie, but it isn't. Very bad script, poor acting and a lack of characterisation or originality in the plot all make this film very weak. The narrative arc flops about like a landed herring, some unimportant scenes drag on for no apparent reason, often with bombastic score serving the place of dialogue. It isn't convincing as a historical drama in the first place but the characters aren't convincing in any other respect either.
I waited a long time to see a film about Redbad of Frisia, who is an interesting historical figure, but this is just terrible. There even appears to be some appeal to regional Frisian patriotism of the modern era, and a nod to the fake history of Oera Linda, making the goddess Freyja (Frya in Oera Linda) a principle deity whom the priestess refers to as "Earth Mother" which is not a name the real goddess was ever known by, but which is the name of her Mother in the hoax manuscript of the 19th century which some Frisians actually believe to be authentic and which depicts Ancient Frisia as a matriarchal utopia.
Even with all the nonsense, which removes any historical value, the film could at least have been a fun but silly action movie, but it isn't. Very bad script, poor acting and a lack of characterisation or originality in the plot all make this film very weak. The narrative arc flops about like a landed herring, some unimportant scenes drag on for no apparent reason, often with bombastic score serving the place of dialogue. It isn't convincing as a historical drama in the first place but the characters aren't convincing in any other respect either.
I waited a long time to see a film about Redbad of Frisia, who is an interesting historical figure, but this is just terrible. There even appears to be some appeal to regional Frisian patriotism of the modern era, and a nod to the fake history of Oera Linda, making the goddess Freyja (Frya in Oera Linda) a principle deity whom the priestess refers to as "Earth Mother" which is not a name the real goddess was ever known by, but which is the name of her Mother in the hoax manuscript of the 19th century which some Frisians actually believe to be authentic and which depicts Ancient Frisia as a matriarchal utopia.