Erik the Viking (1989)

 

Often being sold as an offshoot of Monty Python, this is actually false as this comes from the brain of Terry Jones. Yes, that is a member of the Pythons but like Terry Gilliam he also has his own vision. And what a fun vision this is: if you're looking for a genuinely funny adventure with some nifty commentary thrown in (that never overshadows the rest), then you're in for a treat!

Erik is a young Viking, albeit a reluctant one. He doesn't really have the heart for pillaging and raping, which becomes abundantly clear when he accidentally kills a woman during a raid with whom he seemed to have some rapport. So now he hatches this insane plan to find Asgaard and ask the gods not only to end the dark age of Ragnarok, but perhaps also to bring back this woman with whom he has a fascination, as she seemed to get through to him. 

To do this, he assembles a team of wacky characters (the miser Snorri is my favourite by far) to find a mystical horn that will grant them access to the afterlife. But little does Erik know that one of his village, the treasonous Loki (names are on point here) has informed the evil Halfdan the Black about this quest and seeing as Halfdan's main source of income and entertainment is war and violence, this doesn't sit well with him. 

Erik and company do find the land of Hy Brasil where the horn is located, but this place is not entirely what they expected and Erik will find more things than just the horn on his way to the afterlife... 

This movie is genuinely funny without ever feeling the need to be vulgar or predictable. The whole idea of a Viking with a crisis of faith in his entire being is hilarious to start with and Tim Robbins plays Erik so innocently, it's pretty endearing. The jokes pretty much all land and even though Terry Jones does overdo it ever so slightly as the king of Hy Brasil, most performances are surprisingly human, even if they do play heavily on the idea of stereotypes. 

It's hilarious how a character named Leif the Lucky is the first one to die as well. 

Rewatch especially for Sven the Berserker, played by Tim McInnerny, whom most people might know from playing Percy in the 'Blackadder'-series. It's strange to see him in this sort of role, but this expectation subversion hits the mark. 

Despite some of the cast being American (cameos from Micky Rooney and Eartha Kitt included), this movie is exceedingly British and all the funnier and smarter for it. It's just a heck of a good time.