Erik the Viking (Tim Robbins) has been looting and pillaging. He's not so sure about the raping and that leaves him questioning his way of life. Freya sets him to search for the Horn Resounding. He recruits his restless warriors on a quest for the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla. They battle a sea monster and the pursuing Halfdan the Black (John Cleese) to find the magical island of Hy-Brasil. There is Princess Aud (Imogen Stubbs) with her father King Arnulf (Terry Jones).Terry Jones has injected plenty of Monty Python but the gang is not all there. It makes one pining for the gang to reunite. Robbins is fine but one keeps imagining others in the role. The opening rapey scene is a good introduction. There are some fun moments. All of them have echoes of previous works and it can never exceed them.

Poor comedy from Monty Python's Terry Jones. The plot's about a disillusioned Viking named Erik (Tim Robbins) who goes on a quest to the Land of Hy-Brasil to end Ragnarok. Starts off giving you a few chuckles here and there. Within half an hour the laughs are gone. Robbins is OK and actually does better than most of his British costars, who ham it up with a smug satisfaction that they are in a surefire comedy classic. The sets and effects are a mixed bag. Sometimes I was impressed, sometimes not. The story is loosely based on a children's book Jones wrote called "The Saga of Erik the Viking." If you get the chance you should read the book as it's much better than this film.

The time is Ragnarok. Clouds block out the sun and the world has been plunged into an eternal winter. People fight, kill, and rape, simply because it is a jolly good thing to do. Then comes Eric, who accidentally kills the woman that he has fallen in love with and comes to realise that there must be more than this, so he takes the men of his village on a trek to find the gods and ask them to end Ragnarok.This is a cool little comedy movie done in the Monty Python style, though not exclusively Python, since only Terry Jones and John Cleese are in it. Even though, the bizarre comedy of Monty Python comes out of it, along with its mockery of the human attitude.I guess one thing is the antagonist, Hadron the Black, who wants to stop Eric simply because to him Ragnarok is pretty good for business. There is also Loki, who is the tempter trying to get the Blacksmith and Hadron to stop Eric's expedition because if he succeeds, it will be the end of the blacksmithing business. But it is not the Blacksmith that wants it, but rather the evil and nasty Loki.The nation of High Brazillia is quite interesting, especially when it is being destroyed. The story about this place is that it has been blessed by the gods, but if any blood is to be spilt on the ground then the land will sink beneath the waves. Such a thing happens (due to Loki's interference) and the island starts to sink, but in the face of disaster, the citizens of High Brazillia remain ignorant to it, and sink beneath the waves. It is the attitude of: if we ignore it then it will go away. It is hilarious in this film, but in a way we are laughing at ourselves, because in essence we solve our problems by trying to ignore it, as that is the easy way to deal with it. Ignore it and it might go away, but unfortunately that never happens.The other interesting thing is that the gods of Midgard are portrayed at children. In essence that is what they really are for anybody reading classical Greek literature will understand that the god's really do behave like this. I guess it is simply saying that all that we worship in the end is simply childish (though the Christian missionary is paid out quite a bit as well).In the end this is a jolly funny movie and most enjoyable to watch. Personally I would say that it is one of the classics from the eighties. And remember, you can't sit Sven next to Sven's dad: they'll argue all the time.

This movie contains every ounce of Terry Jones' wonderful, even if slightly warped sense of humour! I have to admit that that the first time I watched it, I spent most of the time wondering what on earth was going on, but after brushing up on my Norse mythology, it was a lot more clear the second time around. As with Jonesy's Python stuff, I found that every time I watch this movie, I notice something different, which just keeps adding to the enjoyment!The DVD extras are also very good: The interviews with the actual stars, I thought was a bit brief; however, the interviews with Jonesy himself were very interesting and insightful; as are the 'making of' clips.This film is definitely well worth a watch... or several!!!