Customer Reviews

High Crusade,the

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Where Poul Anderson's original novel had a nice subtle humour (so subtle, in fact, that a number of readers never got that it *was* humour), this movie is nearly slapstick. Simply by the nature of the budget, it would not have been possible to film the story as Anderson originally wrote it, as that would have entailed a Cecil B. DeMille-style "cast of thousands." Still, if you can control your disappointment at what they have done to poor Anderson's wonderful book, it's a fun movie in its own right.

I've got a dubbed version of this on video quite a few year when it was on T.V. which is absolutely excellent, I live in England and can't get The High Crusade on DVD over here. So I got the U.S. version, all I can say is it's terrible. In the british version, all the aliens were dubbed with hilarious English accents and didn't sound like dodgy Jawa's out of Star Wars.

All I've got to say is, watch the English dubbed version if you get the chance. It's a completely different movie...

I was disappointed that this was not an adaption of the very funny Poul Anderson book. Other that a credit to him and the fact that the story involves knights and aliens, there is scant relationship between the book and the movie.

This movie is more akin to Benny Hill than Monty Python. Very low brow and broad.

That said, the movie was mildly amusing. Not worth buying unless you find it in a cut-out bin.

I gave it a try because I loved the book and because one of the actors was in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. My gosh! What trash. Not funny. Terrible acting. Terrible screenplay. Obviously, a fair amount of energy was put into the sets, but the special effects were comparable to Plan 9. Don't do it. No matter how much you loved the book, I warn you, you will regret the experience.

I just bought this DVD a few weeks ago, the price was right and I quite liked the novella. I agree with the others, its not like the book, but quite frankly, the book wasn't this funny. Its British camp humour, with a lot of stock character actors turning up in strange places, and the narration is excellent.

If you wanted this to be the movie of the book, don't watch it. If you just want an unpretentious laugh, with some clever dialoge, see it.

Sorry, but this is a dismal movie. It starts badly when the credit blurb on the packaging says Paul, not Poul Anderson. Not only is it completely unlike the book but the attempted humour almost entirely misses the mark. The human characters are portrayed as complete imbeciles and the aliens are not much better. I accept that compromises have to be made when adapting novels to screen, but why bother with the license in the first place if you are simply going to use the title and ignore the plot?

i thought this movie was very funny if you didnt you need to loosen up and stop being such a hardass. let it out have fun and laugh. by the way about thoose book people. get over it its a movie not a book forget everything you read.

THE OLDER I GET, THE MORE I DREAD THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS BEING TURNED INTO A MOVIE. "RAISE THE TITANIC" WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE, OR ANYTHING WITH THE NAME "TARZAN" ON IT. OH, I KNOW, NO DIRECTOR CAN EVER MAKE, NO ACTOR CAN EVER PORTRAY, OUR LITERARY HEROES THE WAY WE IMAGINE THEM, BUT COME ON, NOW! THIS IS THE STORY OF A HUGE SUPER-TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY WHO COMPLETELY UNDERESTIMATES A PRIMITIVE, BACKWATER SOCIETY AND GETS THEIR BUTTS KICKED IN THE PROCESS. IMPOSSIBLE? ASK THE VIETNAMESE. THEY DID IT TO US IN ALMOST THE SAME WAY. ANYHOW, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY GREAT MOVIE WITH A MODEST BUDGET AND NO MORE SPECIAL EFFECTS THAN IT HAS. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE A COMEDY OUT OF IT?PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE KEEP THESE BUTCHERS AWAY FROM "A PRINCESS OF MARS". LEAVE SOME THINGS SACRED!

Before 'Independence Day' and before 'Godzilla' the Emerich brothers produced 'High Crusade'. Sort of 'Spaced Invaders' meets 'Holy Grail'. It's fun, it shows what talented people can do with a good cast and limited funds, and it's proof that the Emerich brothers don't have quite the touch for deadpan comedy that The Pythons do. Then again, who does? It has a high giggle factor, and that's the main point.

No, the special effects do not rival 'Phantom Menace', but they're entirely adequate for this film. (Quite good, actually.) No, the acting isn't Oscar™ quality, but it plays just fine here. (John Rhys Davis has done more serious parts, but he does very nicely as Brother Parvis.) The cinematography isn't as dynamic as 'Matrix' but it's excellent in its own right. Buy 'High Crusade' for what it is - a fun film to while away an hour and a half.

My copy goes on my 'view it again, Phred' shelf near 'Spaced Invaders' and across from 'Godzilla' for those times when I need a laugh. If you like silly comedy, try this incarnation of 'High Crusade'. If you want a dead serious treatment of this wonderful Poul Anderson novel, start writing letters to George Lucas.

I had high hopes for this movie when I first learnt that someone was going to make a film version of Poul Anderson's classic novel, but somewhere along the way the producers decided to make this as a comedy movie instead of a straight action adventure story. Stupid beyond belief, the powers that be missed the chance to turn a great action story into a great action movie. Dumb. What should have been a stirring space epic with bold knights in armour, treachery and villainous aliens becomes a tedious - and cringingly bad at times - waste of time. One day, perhaps, someone will have the guts to make a proper film version of Anderson's great book.