Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Home Entertainme
• VHS Release Date: July 21, 1998
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304908083
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,752 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars B Movieness At Its Finest, October 6, 2004

By 

Heather Richards "darkjediqueen" (a galaxy far far away) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince Valiant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It often seems that the genre of the B movie is a lost art in this age of CGI and massively budgeted films. Yet out of the digital free for all comes Prince Valiant, a movie which harkens back to movies like Excalibur in its style and never takes itself seriously in its substance.

Valiant is a young knight who is in charge of protecting a lovely princess. To complicate matters, Excalibur has been stolen by vikings and Morgan Le Fey needs someone of royal birth to dislodge it from the stone it has become trapped in, making Valiant the best candidate, unbeknownst to him. Add to this a dwarf, a viking harem, and some really cheesy effects and you have Prince Valiant.

Perhaps what keeps this movie from being a waste of celluloid is the fact that it's fun to watch. Some of the plot devices are laughable, such as a dwarf being catapulted over a tower, a feministic princess, and Chinese fireworks in the viking palace for some reason. Yet in spite of everything, the movie is able to be cheesy and entertaining at the same time. Stephen Moyer actually isn't a bad prince, though his accent comes and goes while Katherine Heigel doesn't even bother with the accent at all.

While it's laughable, it's still entertaining, which is something that makes Prince Valiant memorable in the normally bland mix of sword and armor movies.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wait for the DVD, April 7, 2001

By 

Beeyl "Beeyl" (Portland, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince Valiant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I loved this movie, not least because my dad used to read the comic strip to my brother and me when we were very young. It's a captivating fantasy, and the movie is light-hearted and beautifully done. Still, I'd suggest waiting for the DVD, mostly because $80 for VHS these days is absurd.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Light, June 16, 2004

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince Valiant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My wife and I were in the mood for a good adventure film so we watched Prince Valiant. This movie is a sort of prequel to the popular comic strip that has been running since my father was young.

The movie begins with Valiant being the squire of Sir Gawain during a tournament at Camelot. When Gawain is unseated and knocked out Valiant disguises himself in Gawain's armor and all but wins the tournament. he would have won except that Vikings had entered Camelot and stolen Excalibur. The Vikings have left evidence to make it look like the Scotts have committed the crime. Thus most of Britain's armies proceed North while Valiant, still disguised as Gawain, escorts a princess back to Wales.

Morgan Le Fey, who is behind the Viking raid on Camelot, uses her magic to discover who can pull Excalibur from a stone in which it has found itself. She sees a vision of Valiant in Gawain's armor and a raid is planned to capture Gawain. When Gawain fails at pulling the sword he is killed. It is now up to Valiant to regain Excalibur. It turns out that Valiant is heir to the Viking throne as he is the last surviving member of the Red Stallion Clan. Valiant gets Excalibur, rescues the princess (who dies and is brought back to life by Excalibur), returns Excalibur to Arthur and asks for the princess's hand in marriage. Valiant then joins Arthur as a knight of the Round Table. This then sets the stage for the comic strip.

What is strange is that Prince Valiant never knew he was a prince. When he learns of his heritage, he is actually a king. It all means that he never actually gets to be known as "Prince" Valiant (although he is called "Prince" by the other knights even though he is a king). Also, when the princess is dying, Valiant challenges God to save her or make a new enemy. It is Excalibur, powered by the gods of Avalon, that responds. Prince Valiant is a fun adventure movie but one that really makes no sense whatsoever. However, if you are looking for adventure, this movie will fit the bill.