Watching this film might be genuinely upsetting for someone with a background in history. My issue with movies set in the past or dealing with historical events is that my education in History makes it difficult to simply accept what filmmakers present as fact. This explains my criticism of some previous films, and I suspect I’ll continue to struggle with this problem. Cinema certainly needs creative freedom, and …

This action and adventure movie looks fantastic but suffers from a seriously weak and unoriginal plot. Vikings arrived in North America centuries before Columbus, bringing death and destruction to the Beothuk people who lived in what is now Newfoundland. One of them, Ghost (played by Karl Urban), has Viking ancestry; he’s a survivor of an earlier expedition. I assumed this would be some cheap Syfy production, …

The film suffers from historical inaccuracies and characters who fail to engage the viewer, presenting a narrative that feels familiar. However, the costume design is exceptional—it deserves an Academy Award without delay. Final rating:★★½ - There was much I found enjoyable about it, but ultimately it didn’t fully succeed.