I have been looking for this title for some time, hopefully one day I can find it on DVD so my son can grow up watching this film! Even though my older sister thought it was "corny", I loved this film growing up, as did my younger 2 siblings. But, to be upfront, as others have stated, the acting is lacking, the storytelling is a bit slow and the choreography is jumbled and a bit awkward. BUT! The story is very rich and robust in intricacies that are usually absent from modern film making that make this film harder to watch if you only watch modern blockbusters. Those who enjoy older films will have no problem picking up the nuances of the film. The story, is an old one-a prince is expected to fill his father's shoes, but has his own dreams he wishes to follow. He isn't the Warrior that his father and older brother Thorstein are, he meets a woodcarver at market and uses the Frankish blade his father brought back for him to carve a miniature Dragon's head. This displeases his father, who named his second son after the great Sigurd Dragon-slayer of legend and expects him to live up to his namesake. Sigurd's feverish dreams of him failing to slay a dragon haunt him throughout the film, until he realizes that his dragon is the expectations others have placed on him. It shows many examples of Viking-age life, things that modern society isn't even comfortable talking about-such as slavery, raiding and blood feuds. It isn't trying to re-write history, it is historical fiction, so they do a decent job of trying to keep the historical aspect. It is a wonderful film to help introduce your children to the Viking age and makes a fun educational tool.
Review of Sigurd the Dragonkiller
