Vikings Blu-ray Review

4 Star Ragnar Lothbrok’s Life gets Complicated.

From the seasoned pen of Michael Hirst (The Tudors, Camelot) comes the continuing saga of the Viking trailblazer Ragnar Lothbrok and how he took a band of warriors to the British shores to raid and pillage the East coast of their gold and people.

Ragnar (Travis Fimmel, The Baytown Outlaws) is having brother problems as Rollo (Clive Standen, Hammer of the gods) has sided with Jarl Borg (Thorbjorn Harr, Two Lives) whilst Ragnar stays loyal to King Horik (Donal Logue, 9 Full Moons).

We get straight into the nitty-gritty of sword, axe and shield battle as both sides get up close and very personal. No quarter is given by either side, as Ragnar and Rollo edge ever closer to facing each other. Faces and bare bodies are all liberally spattered with blood as finally Rollo faces his enraged brother. But Rollo after all this can stand to fight his own flesh and blood (“blood”, did you see what I did there?).

As Ragnar heads back to Kattegat to see his wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick, 50 First Dates) and their son Bjorn (Nathan O’Toole) there is an uneasy truce between Borg and Horik.

His reception from Lagertha is frosty to say the least, as she has found out about his liaison with the princess Aslaug (Aylssa Sutherland, Arbitrage) (season 1). When Rollo is put on trial, everybody is shocked that he is freed, except Ragnar that is.

Ragnars life really takes a turn for the worst when a long ship sails into the harbour of Kattegat carrying the very pregnant Aslaug. When Ragnar decides that he must do right by the princess, he takes her as his second wife, but wife number one doesn’t take to this and leaves in disgrace, taking Bjorn with her as he spurns his father.

It takes four years for Ragnar to get round to putting together a new raid on the British Isles and he invites Rollo back into his family but forbids him to come on the raid and he also leaves out Borg (much to his annoyance, loss of loot and all that).

Ragnar goes to take counsel with the Seer (John Kavanagh, The Stag) who tells him that his sons will be more famous than him (therefore leaving a lasting legacy). They depart on the Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard, Autumn Blood) designed long ships. During the journey across the sea they are hit by a fierce storm which throws them far off course and they end up on the shore of Wessex.

The King of Wessex is Ecbert (Linus Roache, The Chronicles of Riddick) another ruthless man and he doesn’t want these marauding pagans stripping his land of its bounties. When they don’t leave, he sends an envoy to the Viking camp as Ragnar sees the value of this lush fertile land.

Ragnar tells the envoy, how much does your King want to pay for us to leave.

Back at home Bjorn takes the opportunity to better himself by attacking Kattegat as their warriors are across the sea, Rollo mans up and helps the Princess and Ragnar’s children to flee into the secluded hills. What will Ragnar do?

A cracking continuation of the story of the fabled Viking Ragnar, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

All in blood splattering clarity on the Blu-ray

Available to Order on Blu-ray Now.