Hagen - Im Tal der Nibelungen

This film shows a modified version of the all too familiar NIBELUNGENLIED. No wonder, this time the original comes from the fantasy novel HAGEN VON TRONJE written by the German fantasy writer Wolfgang HOHLBEIN. A "German Game of Thrones" was not the result, but the directing duo, who have already made the German-Austrian quality series DER PASS with Julia JENTSCH and Nicholas OFCZAREK, are putting in a lot of effort.

The NIBELUNGENLIED was written around 1200 and is considered the high point of Medieval German literature. Unlike in the films by Fritz LANG (1924) and Harald REINL (1966), the story here is told from the perspective of Hagen von Tronje, who has previously been seen as the ruthless murderer of the shining hero Siegfried von Xanten.

In the current film, Hagen (Gijs NABER) is the benevolent protector of Kriemhild and her brothers, who are being challenged by the charismatic, radiant Siegfried (Jannis NIEWÖHNER) in a populist manner. This is an approach that tells the story of the Nibelungs in a less idealistic and more politically pragmatic way. There is intrigue and murder, almost like in Shakespeare's plays.

The German mini-major studio CONSTANTIN FILM has not been stingy and has delivered a real fantasy gem, which is unfortunately rather unusual for German-language cinema. Unfortunately, audiences in German-speaking countries have not quite gone along with it. So far (as of December 21, 2024), the film has only been able to attract 177,167 visitors to the cinemas, which corresponds to a box office of 1,912,444 EURO.

Hopefully the film will still be watched by many after its theatrical release! It's worth it!

The film is said to have cost 40 million euros. (There will also be a TV series made of the movie, or it was filmed simultaneously. ). Anyway, the result is just sad and embarrassing.

First mistake. Boring as hell of screenplay.

Second mistake: Boring actors, or rather, what are they supposed to play given such a lousy script? The box office in Germany was a disaster. Not even 200,000 viewers in theaters. Not to be recommended at all. No TV series with X to Z episodes will fix that either.

Maybe the filmmakers should have just watched Game of Thrones or one of the really good Viking series to see how to entertain in an exciting way.

A poetic homage to an immortal epic for ages retold.

Siegfried the Hero and Hagen the murderer (which is no spoilers, the story was known to us over 900 years).

The battle scenes are epic, the dialogue is a bit shakespearean, hence i can understand that the modern audience (i hate to use the word zoomers so i wont) will find it dull (i loved it: macbeth flashbacks).

I found it refreshing overall.

All classical characters of Nibelungenlied are in the movie and they are loyal to their characters in a range of extend

This one explores the psychological motives behind the characters, their endeavours and the tragic result. (or was is tragic?)

This movie is far better than presented in imdb (even the plot summary is plainly wrong). For centuries-literally centuries-Hagen von Tronje has been the villain of Germany's most famous saga (yes, Wagner and all that). This movie retells the saga from a different perspective-an apology for Hagen-that alters some details, omits certain parts, and adds others. What you get is still a saga (they travel to Iceland in what may be a 15th-century carrack, 400 years before the Vikings dared cross the gap between Sweden and England), but it all comes together coherently.

It's also well-crafted from a technical standpoint, with good visuals and entertaining scenes. It never felt "long." I believe it's solid if you don't know the story, but if you do, it's at least very good.

Kriemhild isn't a main character, nor is Brunhild or the women's quarrel; it might seem that both characters seem a bit one-dimensional. However, I'd call this a deliberate technique to clarify that the story isn't about them for viewers who might expect otherwise. Alberich the dwarf plays a larger role, and boy-they are properly creepy.

All in all, if you know the book (yes, the old one!), "Hagen" will create a tension between the adaptation and the original. This allows you to better observe themes like "old world heroics versus courtliness", "individual glory versus greater good", and "who's at fault versus who's at shame." These themes are already present in the 13th-century book but are now brought into the spotlight for discussion.

I loved it! The movie had all that is needed to be epic. Intriguing characters, a strong storyline, astonishing settings and of course a lot of Hagen. Although I imagined him being more talkative instead of being a german version of Ned Stark, I loved it anyway. It is an experience in cinema, that shouldn't be missed. The must-see movie of the year. A tribute to the old tale of the Nibelungen and a rare pearl within the German movie landscape. It's love story breaks with old stereotypes. It is not full of unnecessary sex scenes and the fight scenes are well shot. I cannot wait to see this movie again.