Hammer Of The Gods review

A savage but unsatisfying Viking ruck

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

“Kiss my fucking axe!” growls one of Steinar’s (Charlie Bexley) Viking warriors, anachronistically. The year, after all, is 871, and their mission is to cross a (suspiciously) sparsely populated Snowdonia looking for their tribe’s AWOL heir, overcoming Saxons and heathen intrigue on the way.

Gamely directed and acted, but a little threadbare in terms of plot and design, it’s suitably savage but not quite fun enough to forgive the flaws.

Imagine TV’s The Vikings with a twist and you won’t be disappointed, but the biggest heroics on show here are in the budget-stretching department.

Freelance Writer

Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.