Customer Reviews

Dark Kingdom - The Dragon King

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Compared to the region 2 DVD, where the film has 2 parts (as it was shown on European TV) and runs about 177 minutes in PAL (which equals 184 minutes in NTSC), this version was obviously cut by about 50 minutes. The title (UK: Ring of the Nibelungs) was also inexplicably changed, lest any U.S. viewers be put off by the similarity to the Wagner opera cycle. The fact is that the operas are based on the same source material, an ancient (about 800 year old) Germanic saga, similar to the British Beowulf legend and other myths. The "Nibelungenlied" has been filmed several times (there is even a silent movie version), but this latest TV adaptation has been updated to match the tastes of today's audiences. There is plenty of swordplay, some good special effects, and a fine story. Some younger viewers might be surprised that someone had ideas like that 750 years before Tolkien. Kristanna Loken is great to look at and quite adept at handling a sword. Since the cast is international (German, Swedish, America-Norwegian), there is a weird mix of accents, but apart from that, the movie is quite entertaining and deserves some recognition. The soundtrack is also good, and the DVD offers a decent 5.1 sound. The opening map places the action (as in the original saga) in Burgundy, a region that straddles today's border between France and Germany. The movie was shot in South Africa, although the landscapes are digitally made to resemble Scandinavian ones.

First off, let me say that if you like Norse myth you'll like Dark Kingdom. This is one of the stories that inspired Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings. Or should I say, one of three stories, because they combine three stories to make this film.

This is the story of Brunhild and Siegfried from Wagner's the ring cycle Brunhild is usually the fat lady. That's where the saying comes from, "The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings."

Brunhild was a match for any man, or God. This movie is a good movie, but if you saw it on the sci-fi channel. You saw a more complete movie, than you got on the special edition DVD.

1) first cut Saxons at the Smithy
2) Siegfried bringing the Dragon back to Bergen.
3) the lady saying she would be a pagan again just for tonight
4) Kremheld confessing her love for Siegfried to Hagen.

My question is, why did they make these cuts for the American version of the DVD. Also, why did they change the title from, ring of the nibelungs?

I believe the DVD is still worth having, but it only gets four stars because of the edits.

...and can view region 2/PAL, then it's available on amazon.co.de and is titled 'Die Nibelungen: Der Fluch Des Drachen'. Amazon.co.de will take your amazon.com password and settings and the page layout is the same - so even with minimal to non-existant German you should be able to get it.

Comes with both English and German sound tracks and is 177 minutes long.

There's no point in me reviewing the story as so many others have done so better than I could.

It's worth tackling the German as from the other reviews I gather a lot has been hacked out of the US release. (My rating is based on the German release).

What was the point in cutting 50 minutes from what was otherwise a powerful and enchanting film? We ordered the DVD because we saw the full version on the Sci Fi Channel and loved it. The edited version is still a decent film, but we found it impossible to enjoy as much as we enjoyed the original because of the numerous gaping holes in the story.

If, like us, you wanted to buy this film because you saw it on Sci Fi, WAIT! Until they release the complete, original version.

The Sci Fi Channel recently aired the excellent mini-series, Dark Kingdom: Dragon King. This is a moving and beautifully done remake of the classic legend The Ring Of The Nibelungs.

The cast included: Benno Fürmann as Eric/Siegfried, Kristanna Løken as Brunhild, Alicia Witt as Kriemhild, Samuel West as King Gunther, Julian Sands as Hagen, Max Von Sydow as Eyvind, Robert Pattinson as Giselher, and more. This strong cast had a chemistry that effectively brought this Germanic/Nordic legend to life.

Coming down in time to us from the Nordic "Volsunga Saga" and Germanic myth "Das Nibelungenlied", this is the legend of a Blacksmith who slays a dragon and becomes a King, as well as being one of the greatest yet tragic love stories ever told - that of Siegfried and Brunhild. Although this retelling changes Brunhild, who was originally Odin's favorite Valkyrie into a mortal but Amazonian Queen of Iceland, this didn't stray too far from the inspirational legends.

The story is told mainly from Siegfried's point of view, with Brunhild on the peripheral (I remember the legends as being told mainly from Brunhild's side). Escaping an onslaught led by twin barbarian kings, young Prince Siegfried is taken in by kindly blacksmith Eyvind, who changes the boy's name to Eric to save him from the twin king's search. Eyvind raises Eric as his own son. Fate steps into Siegfried/Eric's life when a meteorite brings him and Brunhild together for the first time. Although she returns home to Iceland, the two are never very far apart in spirit, and he vows to go to Iceland and win her.

In the interim, Eric travels to Burgund, which is being ravaged by the dragon Fafnir, who has a legendary horde of gold. Eric forges a sword from the metal left by the meteor the night he met Brunhild, and uses it to slay Fafnir. He bathes in the dragon's blood, making himself invincible. But then, is visited by the Nibelungs, the People of the Mist, who claim the treasure. When Eric takes the Ring as the treasure's rightful owner, the Nibelung inform him there is a curse on any who takes even one piece of the treasure. Eric ignores this warning.

Hailed as a hero, Eric leads a battle between Burgund and the Twin Kings, then is awakened to his true identity as a King in his own right. But then the plotting begins. The King Gunther and his advisor Hagen want to keep Siegfried tied to the house of Burgund, and plot to have Siegfried marry the King's sister, Kriemhild. Siegfried's wine is laced with a potion to make him love the princess, and forget about Brunhild. Then King Gunther announces his desire to wed Brunhild himself, and asks for Siegfried's help in winning the deadly contest Brunhild has set in place. That's when things truly start getting twisted. Let's just say Fafnir was the easiest, most benign challenge the young hero faces in his life. At least with the dragon, you know where you stand and what dangers you're really facing. Much preferable to slimy treachery!

Of course, The Crowgrrl especially loved the ravens in the movie. (OK, I'm a corvidophile!) There were ravens depicting Huginn and Muninn, Odin's own messengers, and one that was a messenger/familiar of Brunhild. OK, the pet falcon of Burgund was pretty cool, too.

The Crowgrrl (www.crowgrrl.com) HIGHLY recommends this movie, a stellar component of any DVD collection!

In an age where Hollywood feels it can slice and dice books to make a movie, especially with classical myths & legends, I thought Sci-Fi Channel did an exceptional job with this film.

Tragedy, deceit, scripting (except for Siegfried's lines - when he was just Erik the Smith's son, I could understand his being a punk but when he discovered he was a King, that should have ended his immaturity) - legend and fantasy all rolled into one miniseries.

Unlike the critics here pointing out minute details of inaccuracies and inconsistencies, I watch a movie for one thing: escapism. Can you escape in the movie? Yes. Easily so. It's not campy at all even when the prince's pals take on Erik in the town square and he bests them. It's not a long fight sequence and it doesn't distract from the film's overall feel.

The fight scene with the dragon (an overgrown komodo-like dragon) was quite classic and without the typically Hercules/Xena crap of defeating it.

Max Von Sidow did a superb job as Erik/Siegfried's father. He taught the lore of steel to his son, taught him to use weapons, to forge weapons, to learn the lore of the Gods, to respect the Gods, to be troth, and to stand up to the scrutiny of the christian "Our-God-is-better-than-your-gods" type of mentality.

The dwarf and his magic made sense. In many native cultures, those born deformed were believed to have been touched by the Gods/Spirits and often ended up becoming Shamans, Magicians or Varlokkurs. And making Julian Sands character a son-of-a-dwarf (something he despised) was truly superb.

The Seeress (Brunhilde's advisor) while somewhat historically accurate, didn't have historically accurate Runes staves. Iceland had 16 known Runes and these would have been carved on wood or possibly bone but not engraved in steel or metal. The way she held them and then cast them to read the omens from Odhinn was accurate.

Also the use of the ravens for communication is accurate. This is an old Shamanic technique that has been found in many native cultures. I was quite surprised to find this mini-series using such things.

Again, minor differences. SCA people usually note discrepncies in fighting techniques, weaponry and costuming. Historians look for slipping away from original story lines - this one from the Sagas.

I disagree that Siegfried should have been cast as a big ape of a guy. That was done in "The Viking Sagas" and it didn't work as well. Few big actors have the training to pull off good roles as they focus more on toning muscles and physical prowess rather than delivering their lines convincingly enough. Erik was acceptable in my opinion. Brunhilde was also very strikingly beautiful with an air of coldness about her. She definitely had that aura of the Saga Brunhilde to me - fat or not. The girl IS beefy.

If you haven't seen this film get it. I'm going to order a copy but also tape the one on Sci-Fi on VHS since I hear they've cut parts I like. The dragon head in the wagon was terrific! It's exactly what I'd do if I were in his boots so why cut it? Oh yes, the "special edition crapola" on the DVD. Yes let's CUT the movie to put on 'director's comments' or silly video games. Ugh.

I purchased this version of Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King believing that it was the original version which was recently shown on the Sci-Fi channel. Nothing on the DVD box indicated that this was anything but the original version. I was bitterly disappointed to find that numerous scenes were cut from the original version. While all of the major scenes in the film are included, the deleted scenes gave the film much of its heart and soul by providing more of an emotional background for each of the characters. If you are a fantasy film fan you will still enjoy the DVD version but for those who saw the original you are left wondering why the film was cut apart. The original gets 5 stars, the DVD gets 3.

I was so disappointed with this DVD. I saw the full movie on the SciFi Channel, and when I found out it was coming on DVD, I couldn't wait to buy it. After I played it, I felt cheated. So many scenes are cut, some of which were important to the story. Also, the captions for the foreign languages was missing on the DVD. Like I said, I hope they come up with a Director's Cut or Extended Version. Until then, I'll just watch the full version I recorded on my VCR.

Though its budget is a mere drop in the water compared to films such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Dark Kingdom" is a rather well-made fantasy flick. Since "Rings" was inspired by the legend that this film is based on, the viewer will notice a number of similarities between the two. There are cursed ghosts who seek out a horde of gold that includes a very special ring, there's the standard story of destiny, plenty of swords and sorcery and, yes, deception.

The tale we are presented here is that of a young boy named Seigfried who is separated from his royal bloodline in a great battle. He is found by a lowly blacksmith and renamed Erik. He is raised to be a man of honor. One night while discussing the gods of old and the new Christians, he receives a sign from the old gods that will eventually lead him to his destiny. Without giving away much more, just know that he is the chosen love of a certain Icelandic queen and deception and treachery lead to the two meeting at a most unsavory time.

The cast is headed up by Benno Furmann as Seigfried. He does a solid and convincing job as a young man torn between his newfound friends, gold, and the love of his life. Julian Sands is sinister as Hagen, who is the advisor to King Gunther, superbly played by Samuel West. In fact, West probably gives the best performance in the lot. Alicia Witt plays Gunther's sister, who falls very hard for Furmann. The Icelandic queen is played with rigid perfection by Kristanna Loken. Also look for Robert Pattinson as Giselher, Witt and West's younger, adventure-hungry brother. Fans of Harry Potter will recognize him as Cedric Diggory in "Goblet of Fire."

Special effects, considering the budget, are very good. I especially thought that the FX crew pulled off the dragon rather well.

The music is also pretty good. It moves the story along at a reasonable pace and builds tension as the deceptions begin to unravel.

This film is definitely worthy of a few looks. If you're a huge fantasy/adventure fan, you might consider this to be a solid purchase. It's also running on the SciFi channel this week, so you may want to watch there before plunking any hard-earned cash down for it.

This is one of the best-ever Sci Fi channel original movies. While it is actually a fantasy movie & not science fiction, it is a nice big-budget film that has impressive special effects.

However, the biggest reason to buy this DVD are not the FX. Rather, it is a solid story although albeit a wee bit corny in a few spots. A refreshing aspect is that it indulges in Nordic mythology, which is very welcome.

Even more important than the story is the cast. Benno F?rmann is great portraying the motif of the hero of noble blood who is raised as a commoner. Kristanna Loken is PERFECT as the Viking queen! Her Scandavian ancestery / complexion, her athletic prowess and her acting ability all combine to make her an obvious choice in this movie. The casting department should get serious kudos for landing her!

If you're into fantasy movies like the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and NARNIA, give this one a try. While it is not quite in the same league as J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis, it is nonetheless more than worthwhile to give a look.