Erik the Viking: The Director's Son's Cut

Written and directed by Terry Jones, best known as a member of the classic British comedy team Monty Python, Erik the Viking: The Director’s Son’s Cut is a re-release of his 1989 film. In Python-esque fashion, the film has been re-edited by Jones’s son Bill rather than by Jones himself. Unfortunately the shortened version of Erik’s saga still feels uneven, with Jones’s trademark comedy style falling flat without the impeccable comic timing of his Python brethren. In the age of Ragnarok, Erik (Tim Robbins), a Viking warrior, begins to question the value of his life of raping and pillaging. In order to change his ways, Erik asks the advice of Freya (Ertha Kitt), the old witch, who sends him on a quest to Asgard to wake the gods. Erik puts together his crew of unlikely adventurers and sets off to save the world and bring peace to the Vikings. Star Tim Robbins’ earnest performance as Erik seems out of place in Jones’s wacky Viking world, where every other character is a silly, over-the-top caricature of the legendary Norse warriors. The DVD contains a standard audio commentary with Terry Jones, a "behind The Director’s Son’s Cut” featurette featuring Terry and Bill Jones, the original 1989 "making of” featurette and a photo gallery. Erik the Viking: The Director’s Son’s Cut is designed for Jones’s fans, and though it does cut 25 minutes from the original theatrical release it doesn’t turn the film into a comedy classic by any stretch of the imagination. There are a few solid laughs hidden within the re-edited 75-minute version but if you’ve seen the original film, you won’t find anything new here to make a re-watching worth your while.