Espen & die Legende vom Bergkönig

I've gone to the movies with my kids countless times to see children and family movies... fortunately this time it was something else. Our movie experience was great this time, the scenes are beautiful, the movie is funny at times and a little scary at times... bust most importantly, it kept us entertained from start to the end, and that is a very rare thing when this family goes to the movies :) I get easily bored at almost all children/family movies and unfortunately, so do the kids, as more or less all movies have a "downtime" that make them restless and sometimes even wanting to go home. Askeladden kept us at the edge of our seats the whole time, which is a very... very rare thing... well done! :)

I suprisingly enjoyed this movie. Dubbed but good. Cheesy a bit funny and not too serious. Brilliant landscape and pretty Scandinavian woman and good directing.

I love fantasy as a genre but I rarely watch it. This was a very wholesome movie. The plot is very basic and there aren't really any unexpected elements, but if you're looking for a solid fantasy film to pass the time, I'd recommend this.

I went to see this film with two 10 year old girls and since I'm 50 year old male/father I had no expectation to like this film as an adult. However, to my great surprise, I found this film to be very good, full of hidden meanings (analogies to important things to do in life and things not to do), good story, great film production, great sceneries, great music, etc., etc. I will not tell more details to not make any spoilers, but can only say that this film is as good for adults as it is for children. I never expected a Norwegian children film to be this good! It can easily compete with the best Hollywood films!! This is the first time I write to IMDb, but this great story inspired me to write for the first time! I will for sure see this film again and again.. :-) ! VERY recommended!!

First off, I have to say I watched this dubbed into English and I'm not sure how much of this movie gets lost in translation. I got the feeling there were some jokes and play-on-words that got lost. There are also a few references that likely make more sense in their native country.

As for the review, I thought the movie was quite enjoyable overall. Fairy tale stories are a hard sale though. The movie included too many tropes and too many fairy tales, all mushed together. If you go in just wanting to have an escapist viewing, then this won't be a signficant con for the movie. If this is something that really would nag at you, then best not view it.

I think one problem for the movie is the target audience. There are a number of rather disturbing/fightening scenes, that might make it inappropriate for younger viewers. However the overall tone is the kind of whimsical folksiness that appeals to children, and might turn off the teenage crowd.

I would file this one in the check-your-expectations at the door, sit back and relax kind of movie. Don't expect much, and you'll have fun with it.