fulano-2

I'm cynical enough not to hope that a movie will come close to its trailer, but sometimes I still feel ripped off.

Judging by that first sentence you might think that I hated the movie. No, didn't hate it, but I did feel misled. The movie has some elements that would make for a great adventure story with some mythical overtones. An Arab in the land of the Vikings (Weird, but hey I'm game). Throw in an oracle or two, a little scenery, and Omar Shariff to boot.

Well, you keep thinking that Banderas is gonna do something really cool throughout the movie and ... nothing. A clever remark here, and an insight there. I must say though, once I gave up on Banderas and what I thought the story was about I found myself rooting for the Vikings (a surly, unruly, unkempt, unsanitary, and virile lot). I was even somewhat pleased by the ending. The hero I picked, and it wasn't the Banderas character, won.

Had the movie been advertised differently I may have enjoyed it more. The unlikely adventure of an Arab poet in the land of the Vikings.

All that being said, as a movie it was Ok. If you need to kill some time this movie can be a nice, albeit sometimes gory, action/adventure.

Had I paid $8 to see this movie, I'd be wondering how I could buy back those wasted hours. However, I only spent the price of a movie rental and wasn't bored.

If you've got a couple of hours to kill and you'd like a chuckle or two this is not a bad rental, or better yet, wait until it comes on one of the networks.

I've seen this movie several times, before I saw it with someone I was in love with. It was great alone, and even better when shared.

Take the phone off the hook, pull down the shades, find that special someone and treat yourself to a beautiful romantic journey.