In the best moments of Skif, it reminds me of Vikings (with Ragnar!) - we get good and bloody action scenes, nice costumes and settings and here and there even some fine surreal moments (like in Mad Max - the woods tribe and the gladiator scene remind me a lot of the scene in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome). Without any modern Hollywood p.c.-regulations Skif is a really enjoyable and entertaining experience. Recommended if you like movies such as The 13th Warrior, the Conan and the Scorpion King movies etc. To sum it up: no masterpiece but good.

I was quite surprised by the quality level of stunt work in this one. The first action scene which is a one shot is incredibly staged and performed. The actors or rather the characters they portray really shine through. The costumes and effects equally know to fully meet ones expectation (or succeed them).

If you are into fantasy and sword action and don't mind a movie to be vivid when it comes to violence and blood ... you could do worse. This really knows to excite. Story wise there might be flaws and the pacing may not be in everyones taste. But the positive aspects are in the majority ... except that ending. Very strange to say the least ... on the other hand maybe it's the only one that makes sense overall.

This is actually a pretty good movie. It does suffer a few clichés but most movies do. The story is ok, the characters are better than average.

The real winner is the presentation of the different tribes or cultures, a lot of effort has gone into developing different looks and behaviours etc that really stand out as some of the best examples I have seen.

The mistake: I watched an English dubbed version and it was horrible, it really detracted from the overall movie to the point where I nearly stopped watching it. I'm so glad I didn't. Definitely go for the Russian version.