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Memorable, crazy movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

A slightly chaotic attempt at gritty realism. Positives, the cinematography and lighting fit the tone and mood very well. Charlie Bewley ( Steinar ), the main protagonist produced a solid display in developing the character from morally centred to amoral psychopath and critically in keeping the character likable. Clive Standen ( Hagan ) also provided a reasonable turn in a supporting role even if his character, along with the majority of the rest were fatally under developed. Unfavourable comparisons with his infinitely more complex and developed character in popular series, Vikings are not unjustified. Regarding the negatives, its a case of where to begin. The soundtrack / score was abysmal. I applaud creative, inspiring new ideas however the idea to ditch the classical crescendo of a battle scene with a heady mix of electro / techno was poor and baffling. It did little to settle the chaotic camera visuals during the same scenes. Whilst I appreciate that hand held camera visuals can add to the chaotic nature and brutality of a battle scene here or there, here it added to the despondency of the story telling. The supporting roles were all hugely underdeveloped particularly the female characters with even the apparent lead female role having little or no development or substance. The finale sequence felt anti climatic and disengaging which unfortunately sums this film up. As numerous reviews point out the costume design also was bizarre at best, with a mix of attempted realism and odd symbolism. The whole film lacked depth and with no character development you felt little if any remorse or sympathy when anyone died and added to lacklustre and disenfranchised feeling. One to avoid, a wasted opportunity.

"Hammer of the Gods" had potential to be much more than it ended up being. The storyline was good enough, and the action sequences were great, lots of really nice scenery, but, but, but... It was all weighed down to the point of idiocy by an excessive usage of foul language which was highly time-period inappropriate. I am pretty sure that vikings didn't use the f-word, nor call people c...suckers!It was a shame with the excessive foul language, because it really brought down the value of the movie to a point where it was starting to become a nuisance and bordering on being too much.And as for the vikings speaking English, well... Of course, it is a movie, and the English language is universal, but still, there would have been so much more creditability to the movie if they actually spoke Norse.I will say that the costumes and outfits were quite nice, and there were some great details and touches here. Great weaponry and armory on the vikings and Saxons.The people hired for the various roles were also doing good enough jobs with their given roles, generally all-round. Of course, some more than others. But all in all, a fairly good ensemble of talents put together.The scene where Steinar was getting drunk or high, or whatever it was supposed to be, really fell to the ground by cheesy effects and bad usage of colors and slurring of the camera lens. And the whole segment where Steiner finds his brother in the cavern was really odd and very misplaced. So not only do we have Saxons and Vikings, but we also need to throw in some primitive cultists into the mix?As in many of these kind of movies, there was a very majestic feel to the landscape and scenery throughout the movie. Which is essential to this particular genre.If you enjoy the viking era, then I suggest you get your kicks by watching the TV series "Vikings", perhaps, because it far outshines "Hammer of the Gods". While "Hammer of the Gods" had its moments, it was just too difficult to get past the foul and inappropriate language and take the movie seriously.The movie was enjoyable for what it was, but given the foul language issue, then I am rating "Hammer of the Gods" a mere 3 out of 10 stars.

I have know idea why there are so many negative reviews of this movie. I found it to be very entertaining. I was not looking for a history lesson, and things did not need to be historically accurate. The movie was suspenseful and had a horror flick feel to it. If you want historically correct films of vikings then watch public broadcasting or go to the library. Anyone who gives this movie a bad rating because it is not "Correct," should have not been able to submit a review, because of their anal-retentiveness! If you read my, and others reviews, who have given this movie a good rating then watch it for its entertainment value and not to nit-pick it for perfect historically correctness!

Playing out like a trashier Apocalypse Now, Hammer of the Gods has a poor excuse for a plot, is filled to the brim with poorly edited ultra violence and slow motion, gratuitous nudity and immature humor. The characters are poorly sketched out stereotypes, the dialogue is strange and often nonsensical, and none of the running themes are played out to the end. But really, is that important? This is a movie designed to be rented on a boring Friday night at a redbox, and it fulfills its purpose well. It's fast-paced, engaging but not so much that you really have to pay attention the entire time, and violent enough to be entertaining to the average action fan. If you liked other similar low-budget films, like Black Death or Solomon Kane, it should work just as well for you. It's fun enough if you don't judge it too harshly, so I'd recommend it to someone who doesn't mind a crappy movie once in a while.