Dark Kingdom - The Dragon King (2006)

Not too bad, not great.

This was a decent effort to put the Nibelungenlied to film. The FX was good, the sets and costumes were above average and most of the actors were ok. However, it really didn't do much for me, and had too much of a TV-movie feel to it. I'd rather listen to Wagner. June 12, 2008

Great except for the title

This film in its original form was fairly faithful to the German version of the story, known as the Nibelungenlied. "Ring of the Nibelungs" would have been just fine as a title- so what if Wagner used it first (it is the same story after all). The acting was excellent- the motives and emotions of the characters really come through. You are watching one of the classic legendary stories portrayed as a very human story. Whoever decided to put "Dark Kingdom- The Dragon King on this film was an absolute idiot. It is the only thing that spoils the film. April 6, 2008

If you think this is different from what you saw on the Science Fiction Channel

...You're right. Many scenes were cut out completely and others were shortened. What remains is a poor tribute to the efforts of a strong cast. Many of the humerous, short scenes which helped humanize the main character were cut as was much of Max Von Sydow's screen time.

The heavy handedness of the re-editing is as bad or worse than what one sees when a broadcast network puts on an R rated feature film, but less predictable. Believe me, save your money and wait for a chace to record a rerun of the original from TV. March 17, 2008

Don't Buy the American DVD - Too Many Cuts/Edits

I saw the full length version and it is SO much better than the butchered USA DVD version. IMHO, the editing wrecked the movie. Sci Fi Channel screens it sometimes, but of course, just to irk fans, it usually winds up screening at 2:00 am! But it was worth staying up late just to see the unedited version. The plot is much better if you can see the unedited European version. I wish Amazon would sell the Euro version 1 DVD and I'm going to check on UK Amazon if I can get that uncut DVD.

The acting is very good, nothing at all like the typical Sci Fi Channel made for TV miniseries stuff. Julian Sands does a great job as the villian, without over acting - he gives a deliciously evil performance. Alicia Witt is also very good as the Princess, Samuel West gives a dignified performance.

If you like sagas like Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, then this is for you. The story line of Dark Kingdom matches the original Norse mythology story very closely, which surprised me because usually TV miniseries just toss in lots of sex, violence, heaving bosoms and tittilation to boost ratings. This is a very classical rendition of the ancient Norse tale and mythology buffs will really enjoy it.

Very good production values, lots of "action" sequences, swordfighting and romance - so there is something for everyone - not just an action movie and not just romance - so it's a combination of "chick flick" with the fight scenes - nice balance - plus it's family fare that you can feel comfortable letting little kids watch - not too scary, not much violence, just lots of classical swordfighting.

Even though the Region 2 USA DVD is heavily edited, it's OK, but I highly recommend trying to get the European Region 2 DVD! January 4, 2008

good old fashioned movie

I watched this late at night and was pleasantly suprised that I actually enjoyed it. Nice movie if you are into the type of material presented. December 30, 2007

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