Great retelling of warthorn Burgund between invading Danes from the north and the Huns from the east, of a dead king and his successor Gunther of Burgund, of his sister Krimhild and a planned political marriage with the king of Lombardei to get military ressources against the invaders, of Siegfried, the hero dragon slayer, prince of Xanten, a rebellious, anachronistic and restless warrior, who lives for the fight, who fights the Danes and helps king Gunther to win his fight against his love interest, invincible Queen Brunhild of Iceland, who fights side by side with her warriors againt Etzel, also known as Attila the Hun, of some dramatic troubles between the different parties, that lead to the killing of Siegfried. All told from the point of view of the main protagonist: Hagen of Tronje, man at arms from king Gunther. Set design, camera work, sound and soundtrack are excellent. Very atmospheric, visually great, there are a lot of scenes without dialogue, it’s storytelling just by visuals and sound. This kind of story based on a novel by Wolfgang Hohlbein, who reimagines and retells the Niebelungenlied, the Edda, just like Marion Zimmer-Bradley did with King Arthur (The Mists of Avalon) and Troy (The Firebrand), needs epicness and here you get it delivered. Epic movie. Of course there is some mythical magic and fantasy stuff in it. Everyone who has seen the tv show „Vikings“ knows what I‘m talking about. It’s a german production, high production values and top execution. Best Part: Brunhild, Queen of Iceland, the design of Iceland, her castle and her warriors, her costume and her aura. Just great landscapes and sets. If you like historical mideval based movies with some fantasy flavour in it, some sword action and beautiful landscapes, grim, atmospheric, modern approach to a legendary saga from ancient times, if you like „Excalibur“ by John Borman, then this movie is for you. Recommended. FYI: a 6 part tv mini series is announced based on this movie with more scenes like an extended cut for tv. I‘m curious what is more in the extended tv version, but whatever it is, it’s going to flesh out the cinematic version, the story and the characters more.

A good movie. Great visual value, great scenery and it doesn't look cheap. The story itself is also pretty well written and easy to follow. Unfortunately there are some lengthy parts and it just misses the little "something" to make it really good. Overall i liked watching it but would have enjoyed it better if it was a little shorter.

As ambitious as it is flawed, this foray into the legends of the Nibelungs feels like a missed opportunity to offer a more or less realistic approach. Despite the soundtrack and certain visual aesthetics, it ends up falling into boring dialogue and interior scenes that eliminate much of the story's epic. There isn't enough complexity in the characters nor enough strength in the direction to elevate this tale of warring kingdoms into a truly epic adventure, remaining a sigh of a failed approximation.

Everything screams "German movie", but not in a good way. Sure, costumes, set design, etc. looks great, but the terrible script, direction, camera, wooden acting, … So many WTF?! moments right from the beginning.