Movie Review: Viking Saga: The Darkest Day
A fairly low-budget film based very loosely on the real-life events surrounding the Book of Kells. Viking raiders have sacked the monastery at Lindesfarne, killing most of the monks. In addition to their usual spoils, the Vikings desire a book. This illuminated copy of the Bible is particularly well-done, even a masterpiece, and is considered almost holy in itself. The one who possesses the book would hold great political power over the region.
To protect the book, the Lindesfarne monks sent it with two of their number, young Hereward and elderly Athelstan, on a perilous overland journey to the religious community of Iona. The monks are assisted by a Saxon warrior named Aethulwulf, and there is a clash between the peace-loving monks and the pragmatic swordsman. While the trio flees from a raider squad led by chief Hadrada, they run into a young woman staked out as bait for bandits…
The American DVD art is rather misleading, showing a horned Viking and making it look like this is a huge epic. It’s a chase movie, with a small cast (a rugby club is reused as extras a couple of times) and shot on location in Wales. The setting is gritty, with dried blood and filth accumulating on faces and clothing. The fights tend to be short, brutal and un-cinematic. (Some liberties are taken with the final fight scene that veer into the unrealistic.)
Religious themes play a big part in this movie, the Christian faith of the monks, Aethelwulf and a random doomsday cult they encounter, the Aesir worship of the Vikings, and the Celtic stories of the bound woman. Hereward grows to understand that there is more than one way to serve God, and that protecting the people of the land is also important. He also has a fever dream of Christ’s suffering during the Crucifixion.
The movie’s rated “R” for violence, and for some full-frontal male nudity (kind of blurry) in a non-sexual context at the beginning of the film.
I used a free Redbox rental to see this movie, and it was worth every cent. Don’t go into expecting a big spectacle, great acting or fancy special effects, and you should be fine.
