In 871 AD Britain, a young Viking warrior, Steinar (Charlie Bewley), is sent on a quest by his wounded father (the Viking King) to bring back his banished brother Hakan.  His epic journey takes him and his fellow warriors through hostile territory as they face off against Saxon warriors to get to their destination.

HAMMER OF THE GODS is APOCALYPSE NOW done as a Viking movie (or how director Farren Blackburn refers to it as APOCAPLYPSE NOW with Vikings).   It is an impressive action movie done on a low budget with brutal fight sequences.   The visual effects add to the locations they filmed in Wales.   Also it is nice to see Glynis Barber is still very good looking since she appeared in BLAKE’S 7 thirty years ago.  One of the best actions movies I have seen- action fans and those who liked the VIKINGS TV series will enjoy this film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MAKING OF HAMMER OF THE GODS is a 21 minute making-of featurette that is a mix of movie clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews as the actors and director Farren Blakburn.  Farren focuses in on making this APOCALYPSE NOW with Vikings and make an epic film on a small budget.

BEHIND THE VISUAL EFFECTS reveals how clouds were replaced, elements were added to make landscapes more epic in scope, fight scene violence, and removing sheep from the frame.

Interviews with four members of the cast: Charlie Bewley (Steinar), Clive Standen (Hagen), Guy Flanagan (Jokul), and Michael Jibson (Grim)

Three theatrical trailers (including one green band trailer and one red band trailer)

AXS TV: A LOOK AT HAMMER OF THE GODS is a quick three minute promotional featurette

Previews for other Magnolia Home Entertainment releases including THE EUROPA REPORT and an AXS TV promo spot

FINAL ANALYSIS:  HAMMER OF THE GODS is a gritty action road movie like APOCALPYSE NOW with Vikings.   Go check out this movie- highly recommended.

This DVD review is (c)9-8-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

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