--- title: "Erik the Viking" year: 1989 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/erik-the-viking" fi1m_id: "erik-the-viking" imdb_id: "tt0097289" tmdb_id: 11828 wikidata_id: "Q1354274" fi1m_score: 43 critics_score: 42 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-10-04T21:16:50.967219+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T21:16:51.440160+00:00" region: "AR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Erik the Viking (1989) Directed by Terry Jones · 1h 47m · Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy ## Identity Erik the Viking - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/erik-the-viking - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** erik-the-viking - **IMDb ID:** tt0097289 - **TMDB ID:** 11828 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1354274 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097289/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11828, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1354274 **Fi1m score: 43** · Critics 42 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* A Viking comedy in which the man doing the least gets most of the laughs > Terry Jones gives his Viking comedy a likeable assortment of eccentrics, but too few jokes worth the journey. Tim Robbins struggles at its centre; John Cleese makes better use of his smaller part. ## Synopsis Erik (Tim Robbins) is a peace-loving Viking, surrounded by a company that includes Sven the Berserk (Tim McInnerny), Ivar the Boneless (John Gordon Sinclair) and Keitel Blacksmith (Gary Cady). His aversion to violence sits awkwardly with Viking life. The story also features Erik’s Grandfather (Mickey Rooney), Freya (Eartha Kitt), Loki (Antony Sher) and Halfdan the Black (John Cleese). King Arnulf (Terry Jones) and Princess Aud (Imogen Stubbs) complete the principal company in a fantasy adventure that mixes its Viking characters with royalty and comedy. ## Review *Erik the Viking* has enough peculiar people for a good comedy and too little comic purpose to keep them busy. Terry Jones, who writes and directs, puts a peace-loving Viking at the centre of a fantasy adventure, then struggles to make either the jokes or the adventure work. The idea is appealing: a man unsuited to the life expected of him ought to have plenty to get upset about. The difficulty is finding enough funny things for him to do across 107 minutes. Tim Robbins plays Erik, and his gentleness is a reasonable starting point for the character. A reluctant participant can be good company when everyone around him takes the business of being heroic seriously. But Tim Robbins gives us too little beyond that initial incongruity, while Terry Jones’s screenplay seems to expect it to remain funny without much development. We understand why Erik belongs at the centre of this particular comedy, yet he rarely gives us a reason to look forward to his next contribution. The Viking crew is more appealing. Tim McInnerny plays Sven the Berserk and John Gordon Sinclair plays Ivar the Boneless, two names that establish the sort of company we are keeping. Their collective eccentricity offers some pleasure, and there is enough affection for these characters to make the film’s failures disappointing rather than merely irritating. The trouble is that a promising collection of odd people needs good exchanges, and too much of the comedy stops at establishing that they are odd. John Cleese, as Halfdan the Black, does better by holding back. We laughed at his restraint, and were relieved to laugh, because his performance does not insist on its own absurdity. He makes the part worth watching without pushing every moment towards a punchline. His limited appearance leaves us wishing for more, although a larger helping of one successful performance would not fix the writing elsewhere. The fantasy offers little compensation. Ian Wilson’s cinematography and John Beard’s production design do not make the adventure visually engaging enough to sustain the stretches between laughs. That matters in a film asking us to enjoy an invented world as well as the peculiar people occupying it. The fantasy sequences feel flat, and Terry Jones’s direction supplies too little excitement to make us forget that the comedy has stalled. George Akers’s editing has the difficult task of accommodating comic digressions while keeping an adventure moving. The result feels slack, with neither the jokes nor the action creating much urgency. Neil Innes supplies the music, but it cannot make these passages feel sufficiently playful or involving. The problem extends beyond individual pauses: the film keeps offering another opportunity for amusement without making enough of the opportunities it already has. A comic adventure can take its time when we enjoy being with the company, and this crew occasionally earns that patience. The genre also allows considerable foolishness, but it still needs decisions about which jokes deserve to stay. Those particularly fond of eccentric supporting characters may find enough here for an undemanding evening. Choose it for that narrow pleasure, and do not expect the adventure to rescue the comedy. *Fi1m score 43, published 4 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics take a dim view of Erik the Viking, with the comedy drawing the most persistent complaints. Praise is limited rather than shared across the reviews: Variety enjoys the premise and finds the Viking crew’s characters the chief attraction. Even the strongly negative Los Angeles Times review finds something to like in John Cleese’s restrained performance, though it notes how briefly he appears. There is little agreement that these strengths sustain the film. The spread is wide, from an enjoyable comic adventure to a fantasy that offers neither laughs nor excitement. Empire locates the problem in a film caught between comedy adventure and the stranger, Pythonesque humour it never quite achieves. Other reservations concern flat fantasy sequences, poor direction and Tim Robbins’s peace-loving Viking. Two reviews lack accessible text, so their specific judgements cannot be established; the verifiable responses lean firmly negative. ## Straight answers **Is Erik the Viking worth watching?** *Erik the Viking* is difficult to recommend beyond admirers of eccentric supporting characters; we score it 43 out of 100. John Cleese’s restrained performance supplies welcome laughs, but Tim Robbins struggles at the centre, the jokes are sparse and the fantasy adventure offers little compensation. **How long is Erik the Viking, and what is it rated?** *Erik the Viking* runs 1h 47m. It is an adventure and fantasy film. **Where can I watch Erik the Viking in Argentina?** *Erik the Viking* is not on any streaming or rental service in Argentina at the moment. It is available in 24 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Erik the Viking, and is it suitable for children?** *Erik the Viking* has a US classification advising parental caution, with some material potentially unsuitable for children under 13. We would not assume its fantasy-comedy label makes it suitable for younger children, but the certificate alone does not establish how violent or frightening it is. **How does Erik the Viking compare to Monty Python and the Holy Grail?** *Erik the Viking* is the weaker choice beside [*Monty Python and the Holy Grail*](https://film.one/film/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail), which we recommend for sharper jokes and more assured filmmaking. Both feature hapless adventurers, but *Erik the Viking* relies too heavily on its characters being odd, while *Holy Grail* makes better comic use of straight faces and heroic foolishness. **What should I watch after Erik the Viking?** After *Erik the Viking*, try [*Monty Python and the Holy Grail*](https://film.one/film/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail) (1975, Fi1m 87): Hapless medieval adventurers, with sharper jokes and far less patience for heroic posturing. Then [*The Princess Bride*](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride) (1987, Fi1m 86): Swordplay, courtship and jokes, with an adventure strong enough to support the teasing. ### Reviews we read (7) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film enjoyable overall, with an amusing premise. It singles out the Viking crew’s wonderful characters as the film’s great strength. [Read](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/erik-the-viking-1200427999/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (64/100, inferred): The page appears to be RogerEbert.com’s review of the 1989 film, but its content is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/erik-the-viking-1989) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the provided text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/28/movies/review-film-a-viking-antihero-runs-amok-with-idealism.html) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (2/5): Ferguson finds the Nordic spoof sadly wanting. He singles out Tim Robbins’s peace-loving Viking role as one the actor would probably prefer to forget. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wqxtrx/erik-the-viking/) - **Empire**, Lloyd Bradley (25/100, inferred): Bradley finds the film caught between comedy adventure and the leftfield lunacy it never fully achieves. He complains that its Pythonesque formula runs out of steam when the off-the-cuff stupidity is too thin. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/erik-viking-review/) - **Time Out**, WH (20/100, inferred): The critic calls the film unfunny, poorly directed and unexciting. The review’s central complaint is that the post-Python comedy fails to deliver laughs. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/erik-the-viking) - **Los Angeles Times**, CHRIS WILLMAN (10/100, inferred): Willman finds the film’s comedy consistently lifeless and its fantasy sequences flat. He singles out John Cleese’s restrained performance as the picture’s best element, despite his brief appearance. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-01-ca-20-story.html) ## Details - **Director:** Terry Jones - **Director:** Terry Jones - **Screenplay:** Terry Jones - **Cinematography:** Ian Wilson - **Editor:** George Akers - **Music:** Neil Innes - **Production design:** John Beard - **Costume design:** Pam Tait - **Producer:** John Goldstone - **Cast:** Tim Robbins as Erik; Mickey Rooney as Erik's Grandfather; Eartha Kitt as Freya; Terry Jones as King Arnulf; Imogen Stubbs as Princess Aud; John Cleese as Halfdan the Black; Tsutomu Sekine as Slavemaster; Antony Sher as Loki - **Runtime:** 1h 47m - **First release (Sweden):** 1 September 1989 - **Genres:** Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy - **Box office:** $2 million ## Where to watch in Argentina Not streaming, renting or buying in Argentina at the last check. Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CL, CZ, DE, GB, GR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IT, MX, MY, NO, PH, SE, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* (1975), Fi1m 87: Hapless medieval adventurers, with sharper jokes and far less patience for heroic posturing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail.md) - *The Court Jester* (1955): A reluctant hero, elaborate misunderstandings and comic timing that repays close attention. - *The Princess Bride* (1987), Fi1m 86: Swordplay, courtship and jokes, with an adventure strong enough to support the teasing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride.md) - *Kung Fu Hustle* (2004): Broad comic characters and extravagant fantasy action, held together with much firmer control. - *The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec* (2010): Period adventure and cheerful absurdity, with a heroine who keeps things moving. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/erik-the-viking