My quick rating - 6,5/10. I admittedly did NOT see the series when it was on the same streamer so I am sure I will miss some of the nuances. Great sets and scenes. I can see that missing 5 seasons is leaving me a bit behind in the story as to why these wars are going on between these kings. But the battle scenes look well choreographed and bloody. I am not sure if the lack of background from the show was the problem or the fact that things seemed to jump so quickly during this but either way, I found myself at times unsure of what was going on. I suppose it could've been a mixture of the two so when you watch, pay attention. I was a fan of the show Vikings so I felt at ease watching this flick as they drew some similarities in how they were presented. I didn't realize until nearly the end that this is basically the story of the birth of England. So there is a bit of a history lesson going on as well. The casting seemed to be pretty spot on and didn't get lost in accent shifting or other problems that plague timepieces such as this. Even at nearly two hours long, I do wish they added a little bit more to explain some of the parts that just felt so rushed. But I do have to go back to the main draw to this. The scenery looks great, with lush landscapes and wide open fields. I am sure some of that has been done in CGI but this isn't anything distracting as it flows well. Also, the battle scenes looked phenomenal forcing you to feel the claustrophobic nature of this type of combat. One great scene of a downed man in battle climbing through the legs of the standing fighters just had such a real feel to it. Little touches like this stood out to convey the realism. I cannot comment on how it compares to the show, or if it even needs to be part of it but standing alone, I enjoyed this and just wish that those confusing rushed parts of the plot had been patched up to really shine.
Netflix is currently the place to stream this one from.
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