The Ash Lad: In the Hall of the Mountain King

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.

So, Norwegian critics have been pretty much butchering this movie. Which is a little strange. On the other hand, Norwegian movie critics don't typically like this kind of movie. No. Boring, dark, dramatic movies that no one (other than the critics) really wants to see, that's what they like! So when someone tries to make an entertaining movie, a movie that sort of breaks the mold, oh yeah, let's reign fire down upon it!

Anyway!

Askeladden (or Ash Lad as it is internationally) starts off really good. It looks great. I like the visual style. Very strong colors, (something critics have been complaining about), nice nature shots, some cool set pieces. I thought it suited the story very well.

It's very well paced, never boring. Has some actually pretty awesome scenes. There is especially one scene, or sequence that I just loved. It's really cool, and the rest of the movie can't quite keep up, because it's that cool. But that's my personal opinion of course.

The acting is decent for the most part. Some of the actors speak in a different dialect than they actually have, so for a language person like me, some lines are a little stiff. The script is not the best, but I don't think it's that important. This is a family movie, more for kids than adults, and I don't think the dialogue is that extremely important. (unlike other critics)

There are lots of references to different fairy tales, exactly what I wanted. There are also several effect shots, which I thought was pretty damn good. Maybe once or twice, it's not quite as good as it could have been, but that's a very minor issue.

I liked the first half or so the best, but all in all I was entertained. I hope this one does well in the theaters, because I want more!

Don't know why there are some really awful reviews or attacks on people who liked it. It's definitely not Lord of the Rings but you know that going in. It's a good little story that's well worth watching. I could see us watching it again sometime. It's clean fantasy for the family.

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 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.