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Historical action drama “Vikings” became a real discovery of the television season in 2013, when the premiere took place. Over time, the ratings of the series only grew, as did the number of fans waiting for the release of new episodes.
If the project is good, then it cannot be much and you want more and more. After watching the last episode, you begin to feverishly look for something similar, but you are drowning in a swamp of third-rate paintings that only remotely resemble the original.
We decided to collect 10 films and series similar to Vikings, which really resemble this picture and which are not ashamed to watch.
10 King Arthur (2004)
Let’s start with the film, which, unfortunately, did not live up to expectations. Antoine Fuqua in the director’s chair, Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Griffith, Mads Mikkelsen, Stellan Skarsgård, Til Schweiger and Joel Edgerton in the roles – no wonder the audience was waiting for a beautiful historical epic with excellent actors. Moreover, 120 million dollars were spent on the creation.
Alas, the story of the military exploits of Arthur and his brothers-in-arms turned out to be frankly weak: a miserable $ 200 million in box office and 31% “freshness” on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregator.
Despite this, fans of the Vikings will still “go in”: if not a masterpiece for all time, but about the time spent watching “King Arthur” no one will regret the time.
9. Viking Saga (2008)
The Danish-American film doesn’t boast a big-name director or a stellar cast, but it does have a solid (albeit mothballing) story and excellent cinematography.
Сюжет “Viking sagas” is simple: a ten-year-old boy named Helgi, the son of Thor, miraculously survives after his settlement was destroyed by the Vikings.
Adopted into the family of his uncle, who raised the orphan as his own son, he grew up to be a strong and courageous warrior who did not forget the tragedy from his childhood. Now he wants revenge..
8. Eagle of the Ninth Legion (2011)
Peplum “Eagle of the Ninth Legion” directed by Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland, The Great Game) starring Channing Tatum, Donald Sutherland and Jamie Bell.
The protagonist is a brave centurion who wants to restore the good name of the family. His father is accused of losing the Eagle Sign, the symbol of the Ninth Legion, and the hero goes in search of the missing squad in order to return the symbol. Of course, difficult and dangerous trials await him on the way: meetings with wild tribes, captivity and much more.
7. Game of Thrones (2011)
We simply could not fail to mention the most successful TV series of our time, although, at first glance, fantasy from HBO has little to do with the Vikings.
Dragons, a dwarf, a eunuch, incest and the walking dead – all this is really from a “different opera”, but if you take the big picture, then there are a lot of similarities.
Look at the same Ironborn: why not classic Vikings? They live off robbery, do not engage in agriculture and farming, take their own by force. Well, the intrigues that the heroes weave “The game of thrones”, the Vikings did not even dream of it at all.
6. Kingdom (2013)
Сериал “Kingdom” in the genre of historical drama tells about the young Mary Stuart and her rise to power in France. Marriage with Prince Francis, in which there is not a single gram of love, the intrigues of Catherine de Medici, who wants to save her son, the unrest of the people who are afraid of everything and believe in magic – all this almost perfectly balances between intense drama and a love story.
4 seasons, in which 78 episodes – this is quite enough. It would be more – the project would have rolled down, and so it was closed at the right time.
5. Rome (2005)
“Rome” is a British-American-Italian historical television series created by John Milius, William MacDonald and Bruno Heller.
Two seasons of the show aired on HBO, BBC Two and Rai 2 between 2005 and 2007. They were later released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Events unfold in the 1st century BC, during the transition of Ancient Rome from the Republic to the Empire.
The series features a huge cast of characters, many of which are based on real-life figures from historical records (Caesar, Cleopatra, Pompey, etc.), but the main characters are ultimately two simple soldiers named Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, whose lives intertwined with key historical events.
4. Centurion (2010)
And again the story of the legendary Ninth Legion, but this time shown from a different angle and with a different message. It stars Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko and is directed by Neil Marshall (Warrior Dogs, The Descent).
The picture highlights the confrontation between the Romans and the Picts – the indigenous people of Scotland, who do not want to give up. Neither side of the conflict is positioned by the authors as good: in both armies there are both respectable warriors and deceitful intriguers for whom there is no concept of honor.
Considering that the authors “Centurion” was only 12 million dollars of the budget, the film turned out to be surprisingly spectacular, without pretensions to costumes and scenery.
3. Trailblazer (2006)
“Pathfinder” (also known by the alternative name Pathfinder: Legend of the Phantom Warrior ) is a 2007 American action epic film directed by Markus Nispel and starring Karl Urban, Clancy Brown, Ralph Moeller and Luna Bloodgood.
Despite the fact that the film received a very negative critical reception and was a box office failure for Fox (it earned $31 million on a budget of $45 million), we still recommend it.
As part of our selection, it is simply perfect, as it contains the real Vikings who invaded the lands of Native Americans 600 years before Columbus arrived there. The raid was unsuccessful: the local tribes defeated the attackers and captured the son of the Viking leader.
15 years pass: the boy was brought up in a different culture, never becoming his new family, and then the Vikings attack again. He has the opportunity to return to his own, who may not accept him, or stay with those who also do not accept him. Which side will the hero choose?
2. Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010)
“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” – an unambiguous “must watch” not only for fans of “Vikings”, but simply for all lovers of high-quality TV content. The characterization, the costumes, the makeup, the level of detail – it’s all just off the charts.
The story of a gladiator who is destined to become the head of the largest slave uprising in Ancient Rome is shown, although not entirely reliably, but as realistically as possible.
Before the release of Game of Thrones, it was Spartacus that was considered the most explicit show on television, replete with nude sex scenes. We have included only the first season in the list, but if you like it, then you should definitely watch the sequel – everything is no less epic and beautiful, although the finale will be slightly delayed.
1. The Last Kingdom (2015)
“The Last Kingdom” is a British historical fiction television series based on a series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. “Saxon Stories”.
The main character is Uhtred Bebbanburg, whose older brother was killed by the attacking Danes (local Vikings). Then his father, along with other Saxon nobles of Northumbria, die in battle with these same Danes, and only his uncle and stepmother survive.
Uhtred and a Saxon named Brida are taken as slaves by Count Ragnar, who has settled in Danish Northumbria. The protagonist has a long way to go from a slave to a leader who will be respected by allies and feared by enemies.