videorama-759-859391
I saw this movie for the first time today, and my expectations were soon thrown into disillusion. The acting was good, some lines amusingly uttered by Majors not come off, showing up for a fool, some of it stilted. Ferrer was the best, playing Major's Dad I think, disguised like a Zeus god. His performance really impressed on me, first not noticing this great actor. The thing that really makes this movie suffer is the shoddy photography, which tells me there was a desperate budget, behind this medi-evil misfire. We have a lot of scenes, with two separate shots, as if dismally failing to make us think, it's one location, battle scenes, with vikings coming out of the rough seas to fight the Indians charging out of the woods. Again, more shoddiness, I was left incredulous, thinking "You gotta be kidding"? Someone not kidding about making this movie, shouldn't be declared sane. The film, void of a lot of life, unimpresses on many fronts, I for one, was on a comedown, it's antidote, comic Majors, and that blind guy. Hardly any blood is shed, where it's implied instead.This movie's so bad, another indicator of cheapness, the end credits still playing over exchanging dialogue, where to me that's a plus, in light of what I've watched.You even have a romantic comedown, with Majors and that village Indian girl, where you really think, earlier something may evolve. This could be one film, you'll be glad to see the back off, or may'be have just one more watch, thanks to it's amusing factors. A historical medi evil film that will gone down in the history, as one of the worst of it's kind. The music is one of a few better things in this droning turkey.
Matthew_Capitano
It stinks.Lee 'The Six Million Dollar Man' Majors. If he isn't one of the Top Ten WORST excuses for an actor in cinematic history, then somebody needs to be taken off that list so we can put Majors on it.The bionic dud shows up with a crooked mustache and a late 1970's hairstyle. He utters lines of 'period' dialogue with all the urgency of a constipated snail. Helping him stink is Cornel Wilde(!) -- what the freak is he doing in this creaky tripe? Majors employed a small band of his buddies including Denny Miller (the guy who played 'Tongo' the ape man on Gilligan's Island about a thousand years ago). The only real question here is: How did Majors arrive at the conclusion that doing this film would be a 'good idea'? Everything in this movie stinks, especially Majors, whom no doubt forgot to drink a cup of coffee each morning before filming so we could tell he was awake.
dbairdsc
This flick goes under the Classic B Movie definition. I count a solid seven classic 1960s and 70s B-Movie actors, and outside of the apparently proper Viking ship, it stacks up well to other B Movies: culturally stereotypical protagonists, perfect hair (always clean and well-groomed), poor wigs and bad costume beards (looking scruffy but clean and poorly groomed), crappy costumes (how do you swim with armor on?), poorly scouted locations (who knew eastern Canada had palmettos, Spanish moss and short-leaf pines?), poor cinematography and camera angles, unimaginative or over-the-top dialogue, historical inaccuracies, poorly executed and tactically inept battle scenes, the one native, sexy-hot maiden (and her provocative costume) with a heart-of-gold and her evil, warrior, chieftan brother - this movie has it all!
dworldeater
Watchable, but mostly unspectacular Vikings vs. Indians picture. Even though this came out in the late 1970's, it looks like it could have been made 15 to 20 years previous. Lee Majors helms the longship to The New World in search of his father who did not return from a previous expedition and captured by hostile indians. Much like a western from the 50's the native tribes are portrayed in a very one dimensional manner and like the 50's, not a single Native American is cast in this either. The acting is adequite, but far from exceptional. The action is nothing special either. The one element I did find interesting is character actor Jack Elam as the Viking wizard. I'm sure this production was fairly cheap and is decent for not costing much to make. However watchable, The Norseman is a pretty boring period action film and very little about the film stands out as exciting or memorable.
AD
