[Conan] Just watched the movie THE EAGLE

[Spectator]

What a pretty good film!
I love the portrayal of the celts/ picts.
Anyone else see it?

 

[Supplement Four]

I waited a long time for it to hit Netflix. Finally saw it a few weeks ago. I can't say I agree with you. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars on the Netflix scale. I was really disappointed in it.

A film I liked much better is Centurion. Where The Eagle explores the story of what happened to the Ninth, Centurion shows you what some people think happened.

Plus, the fight scenes in Centurion are fantastic.

Another film that just hit Netflix that you might want to try out is Ironclad. It's set a bit later, when King John, after signing the Magna Carta, is roving around England with Dane mercenaries, murdering all who signed the document. The story is about a Templar Knight, a Baron, and a few men who attempt to hold out against King John until the French come to support the civil war.

This movie has some fantastic, gritty, realistic, Conan-esque fight scenes, too, and a very well done peeks at what it takes to lay siege on a Norman castle.

I think both of those movies are better than The Eagle.

The recent King Arthur is set around the same time as The Eagle and Centurion, too.





EDIT: And, if you're in that kind of mood, try out a film called Black Death, starring Sean Bean. It's a pretty good film. I found it better than The Eagle but not as good as Centurion or Ironclad.

The, there's Season of the Witch, starring Nicolas Cage. Not that great a film. The Eagle is a better film than this one. But, it's worth the watch if you're scratching an itch.

The film, Outlander, is kind of a fun action romp that mixes some science fiction with historical fiction. It plays on the myth of the dragons.

And, if you're in an introspective mood, and dig "deep" stuff like what Stanley Kubrick would make, check out Valhalla Rising.

Then, there's the stuff you've probably already seen: Troy, Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut, Clash of the Titans (remake), Robin Hood (recent one), Alexander - Director's Cut, Spartacus (Starz TV series), The Pillars of the Earth (mini-series), Pathfinder, Prince of Persia, 10,000 B.C., Gladiator, and The Scorpion King.

The next film I have coming from Netflix is called Shadow of the Sword. We'll see about that one. Visuals look real good. And, there's a film on streaming Netflix called Arn: The Knight Templar that I want to check out.

 

[Spectator]

Yeah Centurion was better.
Valhalla Rising kinda bored me to death and was kinda unrealistic (Vikings were pretty damn good mariners, and would not have been that lost).
King Arthur (the recent TV series with Eva Green) was barely OK, I never made it past episode two.
I did see Black Death with Sean Bean, I was pretty impressed. (I tend like his stuff a lot).
Outlander (with Jim Caviezal) was awesome (I thought it was about the Grendal/ Beowulf myth).

I have not seen Ironclad, yet.

What I really liked about the Eagle was the portrayal of the "Seal Tribe" of the Picts. I thought it paid some very attention to detail, like the non-existent metal weapons, rather bone, skin, and wooden goods.

 

[Da Boss]

The Eagle was ok but I agree that Centurion was much better. Although it was interesting in the commentary about Centurion that they say the loss of the Ninth is a myth which is still debated alot.

I must admit I was sorely disapointed by Ironclad not just the terrible history but the fighting seeemd pretty poor compared to say Centurion.

Outlander is really good and if you like politics and intrigue, great fighting and lots of sex Sparticus TV series is superb.

 

[Supplement Four]

I must admit I was sorely disapointed by Ironclad not just the terrible history but the fighting seeemd pretty poor compared to say Centurion.

Wow. Really? I thought the fight scenes in Ironclad are some of the most realistic I've ever seen. The fight scenes in The Eagle/Centurion/Valhalla Rising/Black Death are all really good, but I think the scenes in Ironclad top them all.

 

[Spectator]

RE-ASSESSMENT:
I think the Eagle is on par with Centurion.
I have to say the costumes were superb.
The whole pictish tribe had only 3-4 metal weapons.
The lost/ rogue legionaries was a good "deus ex machina" and the bad guys were not all assholes/ total bad guys.

When I look back at Centurion, I think the thing that bugged me most was the witch girl in it. It was a little too fanciful.

 

[Supplement Four]

When I look back at Centurion, I think the thing that bugged me most was the witch girl in it. It was a little too fanciful.

It was because they got a hot model wanting to be an actress (and she did I good part, I think) in the role. Historically, some women did fight, and they usually used spears.