Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Angels_Review Well, this is a really really old video and let's say that for its time, it might have been very high class but now, it feels like it lacks a lot. The animation is low quality and the voices feel forced and scripted.Horus seems to not think about what he is about to do, his heart being in the right place but his head just doesn't seem to be happening there. He was made to be the purest of the pure but they made him come out as a rather young child, younger then he should be. Other characters randomly sing and makes it feel like we are in a old Disney movie.The animation is really old and they cut corners constantly. They reuse clips a lot and also jump around without any explanation on why they are except that they are traveling. Both people and animals look rather blotchy and not a lot of detail. In order to not animate some of the faces, they are covered in thick bushes of hair from eyebrows and beards.The script sounds cheesy in the English version, where the voice actors feel as though they are just reading lines. It's rather narrative and descriptive in the beginning and then loses a lot of that as the story goes on, not explaining enough when it needs to later on. It feels like it should have been much shorter. They did do a good job matching the voices though so it does get some props for that.

johnnyboyz Little Norse Prince was my first foray into the territory of Japanese animation, later made more popular in the West by that of Studio Ghibli, and it's a mixed effort; a film which had enough in terms of raw energy and that sense of passion or artistic integrity pumped into its animation to make me want to come back for more, but lacked an ability to really keep me entirely interested throughout. I don't think it has the sense of adventure it thinks it has, nor does it entirely make use of its premise and have us feel like we've genuinely watched the transition of a young protagonist, who's been granted a specific test or goal at this early stage in their life, from one thing into another. In essence, the film feels a lot longer than it actually is, and makes the fatal error of introducing a supporting act who ends up more interesting than the lead. Additionally, it gets bogged down in the middle with a subplot to do with a village-set power exchange and all the political strife which comes with it and enraptures the lead when all we want to see is this hero journey onwards and upwards in achieving his quest whilst learn a bit about himself in the process.The film opens in a resounding fashion, with a young boy called Horus fending off a pack of wolves along the rural plains of the ancient Nordic world with a sword and a breathtaking amount of both speed and agility. There is both something quite beautiful as well as ugly in the manner in which, with each swipe of the blade, Horus shifts and slides to-and-fro out of the way and onto the next stretch of pasture as wolves drop all around him, not necessarily killed, but with the next in line eyeing up the next available chance to attack. When all looks lost, and one of the beasts slides a sly anthropomorphic aside to our Horus as the kill looms, the ground gives way and a huge giant made entirely out of stone rises from the Earth scattering the animals but trapping Horus on his shoulder. The opening in this sense is quite magical, a really well rendered battle sequence featuring the wilds of this rural domain at work as a pack of hunters seemingly chase the next meal but coming up against a capable human-being who fends them off before everything, in this apparently enchanted land, is rounded off with a monster appearing from nowhere and now a part of the action.Things develop when Horus pulls from the giant a sword which had been stuck there, this chance encounter leading Horus to pursue a mission on which if the sword is successfully reforged, he will garner the right for a promotion into king-hood. It additionally turns out there was indeed a purpose for the wolves' being there; an off screen evil force had sent them to thwart Horus for whatever reasons in whatever capacity. Horus heads across rivers and seas to his old stomping ground, a village once torn apart by an evil which manifested itself within and tore everybody apart. He is there in his attempt to reforge that sword, and in the process garner both the respectability as well as the power an individual in the mould of Horus has the ability to achieve. Along the way, we observe him encounter an array of individuals with power able to match his own; people using such abilities and weapons for a means of bad and there are meek lessons to be learnt.Much more interesting is that of the character of Hilda (Ichihara), a girl as young as Horus whose voice is sharp and siren-like; their first interaction down by the ports of this small community, beside the waters, fitting in that sense and made even more so when we spot that she sits atop a shipwreck of some kind. Hilda is the lone survivor of a village of her own, a village which was destroyed under similar circumstances to that of Horus'. She is a loner, an outcast when brought back by Horus; her frayed beliefs and ethics clashing with the populous where duty vs. choice is at the forefront of her refusal to sew like all the 'good women' seemingly do in this community thus tying her in with the Horus we saw in the opening as a character unbounded by what's expected of them and possessing somewhat of a free spirited attitude. It is unfortunate her story and her presence overtakes that of the lead.As things unfold and Hilda's true identity, indeed prerogative, for being there becomes clearer; we sense Horus' quest undermined by the deeper tribulations and emotional conflict Hilda suffers. When the time comes for Horus to confront evil and have a big showdown at the end wherein catalysts and epiphanies and such may play out, it is with which Hilda's off screen presence and tale that we are preoccupied. The film stutters in its speed, often breezing along like a good adventure should but then unevenly pausing for more mediative moments. One of its bigger crimes is that it unfolds in an enchanted world, although often feels unenchanted – the film an unbalanced effort which has a sturdy amount of character and wonder but leaves one relatively underwhelmed on the whole.

dbborroughs Isao Takahata director of the animated Grave of Fireflies and founder of Studio Ghibli first feature film is set nominally in a Norse country, but it sure seems like old Russia to me. Hols, a young boy/man/teenagerish kid lives with his father on the edge of an ocean. Not long after he removes a thorn, actually the sword of the sun, from a giant rock man, Hols father dies. He tells his son the story of how a devil named Grunwald had spread evil in their old village and had caused things to fall apart. Hols father wanting to keep his then infant safe fled into the wilderness. As a dying wish Hols father urges him to go back and find his people. Traveling with Coro his friend who is a bear he sets out to find his people. In the process he meets Grunwald who wants Hols to join him and Hilda, a girl with a lovely singing voice and a dark secret.Moving like the wind this is an 80 minute movie that has enough plot for at least another hour. This isn't a bad thing since the film keeps moving at all times. Its a beautiful film, filled with an endless series of set pieces. Actually I don't think there is a bad sequence in the entire film. To be honest the film's script is a real mess. Its doesn't move at time so much as lurches from thing to thing. The dialog is also often stilted, which I'm guessing is the result of too faithful a translation from the Japanese (there are times when you really need to reword things. And no this is not a bootleg or a print from Asia, its the official UK release DVD).Messy script or no I think this is a masterpiece. This is a great grand adventure that hooks you and drags you along for 80 minutes. As I said the set pieces are spectacular and the sense of magic is wonderful. We have a hero is truly heroic and some characters who are very close to being real. The design of the film has echoes of later anime projects, not just Ghibli which helps give it a nice feel of familiarity when its not being wholly original. Strangely the film feels very much like the Russian fantasy films of directors like Aleksandr Ptushko. Its suppose to be set in a Norse country but the design of the costumes is very Russian.I really liked this a great deal. to be certain its flawed, deeply, but there is something about the central story thread that allows the film to survive as something wonderful. I recommend it.

xxbrennan After hours of trying to figure out how to download a torrent and how to show the torrent with subtitles, I finally got to see this movie. I turned off the television, turned off the lights, and lied on my bed as the opening of the movie began to run. As I finally got comfortable, the great storyline, wonderful art, and awesome music began to take its toll. I, of course, had high expectations for this movie, the big Ghibli freak I am. Was this movie worth 5 hours of work? Of course.The story begins with Horus fighting a pack of wolves, where he looses his ax and is taken up by Maug, a rock giant. On Maug's shoulder is the Sword of the Sun, which, surpassing Maug's expectations, Horus pulls out. Maug tells him he must restore the sword and master it, and he will become the Prince of the Sun.Horus later finds from Koro, a bear whom Horus has befriended, that his father is dying. He reaches his father in time for him to tell Horus about where he came from. He also tells him to go and find his people.Horus and Koro set out to find his people, and he comes across Grunwald, who gives Horus the opportunity to become his brother. Horus refuses, as he knows Grunwald is the demon that destroyed his village. Grunwald then makes him fall off a cliff, thinking Horus is dead.Horus is later found by a child from a village nearby and wakes at the boys home, to find that his father was just killed by a giant fish. Horus later kills the fish, allowing fish to come upstream and feed the villagers.He soon meets Hilda in an abandoned village, who tells him that her village was destroyed and was the only survivor, and that no village will accept her. He then takes her to his village, where she is accepted by all because of her beautiful singing.From there you will find action, adventure, betrayal, loss, friendship, and redemption. I won't tell you any more than this, but just know that this movie is filled with great characters with real personalities, a wonderful score, and an awesome storyline. Everyone can identify with at least one of the complex characters. A must see for any Miyazaki, Takahata, Ghibli, or Anime fans.