Son of Odin 2 (2005)

Still reeling from the superb work done by Peter Jackson upon J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings, the appearance of a small studio called FOKING FILMS, who – despite their earlier succes with ‘Son of Odin’, which had later been classified as a ‘short, but profound tale of existential hardship built upon a tight plot and experimental filming’ – was not something that should have disturbed the ever present flow of the movie industry.

Ragna rocks!

Among the many spinoffs and parallel productions mimicking both Braveheart, Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter, no one took notice as FOKING FILMS announced that the second part of the trilogy: ‘ODIN’S SON II – ZOMBIE SON’, was to be a massive hollywood blockbuster with epic battles and true heroic drama. However, despite their low budget – and an ominous promise of a potentially dreadful cost in human lives during the high-risk productions – young people from ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2005, eager to be part of something they intuitively sensed to greatness-in-the-making, came to the set in their thousands, willing to work freely as extras on the set.

The production team was taken by storm by this unexpected event. Looking back, director Hans Bruntt is later rumoured to have said: ‘Already then, the production was in danger, my recent fallout with both LarsBP and some of the actors threatened to tear down the continuity of the trilogy, and although Daniel Foged courageously stepped in and delivered a satisfying performance as Odin, back then I thought of the project as doomed. Then, on the very first day of filming, they came. Thousands of young festival gangers, viking descendents all, willing to fight all day despite the throat-gashing dust and the scorching heat. I knew that if we went through with it, less than half of them would come out again alive. But at that moment I felt the eyes of the Gods upon us, I truly did. I almost wept. Almost – well for a short while, anyway. Then I grabbed the cam and said…. ACTION!!’. It was a decision that he would never regret.

Attack of the the zombie hordes!

In a grim continuation of the saga of the son of Odin, the movie opens up on the terrifying vistas of ice-clad Niflheim, far to the north and beyond the realm of the living. Unstoppable and uncompromising, three vikings – Thabor, Ondthor and Helthor – on a quest to this god-forsaken realm, are confronted by hungry hordes of the frozen dead, the mortal and mindless shells of the vikings who did not die honorably in battle, doomed as they are to reflect outwards their hollow hearts and lesser characters, yearning eternally for the power that true viking blood brings. Brought to his knees in a fell ambush, Thabor is slammed to the ground by eight of the hideous slavering undead, who tear apart his flesh and consume his innards in a gore-slicked action sequence that came as a shock to most viewers.

Seething with anger, new action star Jonas Vestergaard incarnates the role of Helthor, whose berzerker rage is kindled by the death of his brother. Howling ‘I scream! I shout! I say! I run amuck!!!!’ he charges in to the fray, and together with Ondthor he defeats the living dead vikings in a storm of blades, guts and blood. Elsewhere, pain beyond imagining causes the fallen Son of Odin to wrest himself free from the numbness of his icy prison. Eminently played by Jakob Vogdrup, who made the ultimate sacrifice for this scene, The Son of Odin arises once more, now a living dead denizen of Niflheim, a frozen horror, tortured by the anguish of 1.200 years of eternal pain as he failed to die in battle as a true viking – but still bound to seek out battle where ever he finds it, and kill…. with power.

Confronting Ondthor, well-played by Ole Munk, the two of them lock weapons in an epic struggle that divided theaters everywhere, some cheering for the Son of Odin, others going for the valourous Ondthor. Nontheless, the conflict can only end one way, as the hapless viking has no chance against the mighty Son of Odin, who tears open the throat of Ondthor with his bare teeth, feasting upon his viking flesh and blood. Seeing his brother killed, Helthor recognizes the true monster before him, and goes berzerk once again with 100% total viking power, killing the arisen Son of Odin in single combat. With a smile on his cold, dead lips the Son of Odin fulfills his destiny og dies in battle like a true viking, returning to his seat in the Halls of Valhalla in a blaze of glory.

The all-powerful stroke!

Alone, fighting his way back to Middle-Earth through the dread mountains of Niflheim, Helthor is confronted by an entire legion of the living dead. Standing proudly before them, he promises to take as many with him in death as he can, before a greater power changes his destiny. Odin – God King, Widow-Maker, Man-Slayer – comes to his aid, satisfied that the prophecy long foretold has now been fulfilled, and rewards Helthor for his courage, smiting the foes by throwing the spear Gungnir, and scattering the zombies in a single, all-powerful stroke. Insane with rage, Helthor swears fealthy to Odin, and vengeance on all the living dead, stalking the dark plains in a fit of berzerker aggression.

Odin, thoughtful as ever, remains, pondering the price paid for his timely intervention. Gungnir, the spear of destiny, did not return to his hand. Despite the obvious cliffhanger, the response of the audience was immediate. They wanted more. In chaotic scenes rivaling the hysteria caused by Star Wars, thousands of fans blocked the theatres, eager to see the movie again and again. As several cinemas were burned for not showing the movie, Hollywood was forced to recognize the impact of FOKING FILMS. A few days later, the first billion-dollar offer in the process of a hostile takeover, came in by fax. The answer by FOKING FILMS was, as it ever was, simply ‘no’.

The text quoted here is a censored version of a paper by Dr.Mindstripper, The English Journal of Psychoanalysis, May 2006

Reviews

‘When I saw it, I knew that the Battle for Helm’s Deep in ‘The Two Towers’ would pale in comparison. We were simply unable to capture the true spirit of war on that massive kind of scale, we did not have that viking gene in us. ‘Odin’s Son II – Zombie Son’, is the kind of movie I always wanted to make, but alas…. I failed… I failed!!!!’ – Peter Jackson, The Hobbitton Daily, 2006

‘Jeg er træt af denne vikingeglorificering. Vikingerne var altså blot nogle militærnægtere fra Skandinavien, som i den senere jernalder og vikingetid backpackede og gjorde sig lystige mens de turede langs Europas kyster. De var typisk voksne, men umodne mænd, med hornhatte og våben, skønt jeg medgiver at de fleste af dem var dygtige til vikingespil, stenhugning og præsteslagtning. Men de var blodtørstige psykopater, hvis yngel stammer fra voldtægt af bl.a. Lindisfarne’s ekstremistiske nonner, hvilket er en af grundene til at institutioner som Faderhuset og Jehova’s Vidner nu pletter hele det danske samfund. Faktum er at DET ER SKIDT DET HELE!!!!!!’. – Jeffrey Cain, Ekstra Bladet, 2006

‘Svaret er rigtigt: Vikingerne vinder!!’ – Per Viking, DR-TV: Fup eller Fakta, 2006

Son of Odin 2 production photos