This Dreamworks animation has received lots of good press, so I figured it would be a decent afternoon diversion. I really liked most of the way this story unfolds. A viking boy forges his own way through life as he learns that killing and destruction are not the only way to provide safety for a village. In fact, he realizes that following the 300 years of historical practice in his village will never lead to sustained peace. It takes courage and the ability to stand against not only his village, but also his powerful and traditional father. Of course it helps to have "the girl" on your side, as well as a few easy tricks that make you nearly invincible. But the point is that he needed to think outside convention to be able to discover those tricks. All of this is good, but then the filmmakers take the easy way out. Peace and unconventional thinking only go so far. And then you get to meet "The Big Evil", and of course war and destruction is the only path available. Couched in just war theory and self defense, the film comes to a happy resolution. I guess the fact that we get 80% of a film suggesting that active non-violence is a viable plan is better than the 0% I am used to. Progress at least...
As for the technology of this film, let me offer a short rant about IMAX 3D (or at least my experience in this instance). The IMAX screen size is not compensated by the size of the 3D glasses, meaning that I had no peripheral vision throughout. The left lens of my glasses had a polarization that was not aligned correctly (and yes, I checked this afterward). The result was a blurry image with only the left eye, and left eye fatigue. While the 3D gave the film depth, the occasional "pop-out effects" were superfluous. I would rate the entire 3D on this film extraneous to an otherwise good animated offering.
4 stars (out of 5)
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