8/10
Time to re-evaluate Terry Jones
28 October 2002
Terry Jones is probably the least appreciated member of Monty Python, but viewing `Erik the Viking' should change your opinion on that. The movie's world is bleak and bitter (reading about Norse religion will show you that the Vikings lived in a bleak and bitter world), but Tim Robbins' idealistic and earnest Erik is just sweet and hopeful enough to keep things interesting, rather than completely depressing. The casting is excellent. Particularly noteworthy are Jones himself as a king who quite literally only sees what he wants to see; Eartha Kitt as a very effective and chilling Norse goddess (yeah, it sounds weird, but it's perfectly done); and Antony Sher, whose Loki is equal parts weasel and villain. You'll be disappointed if you come in expecting over-the-top Pythonesque zany-ness, but to me, this movie felt like a maturation of that style. The satire is still there but it's more sober than frenetic. I only rated this movie an 8 because I don't watch it very often, but it's probably my favorite of all the Pythons' solo projects.
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