This is How Movies Should Be Made

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I loved this movie, for all of the reasons others have praised it--and I don't feel the need to repeat the plot points or "all of those reasons" here. Yet almost everyone seems to have missed the point of the ending--and yes, there IS a point. It is NOT ambigious in the least. I won't give anything away here except will say that if you have paid attention--to the story, to the characters, to their motives, you will indeed "get it". No it doesn't give you "happily ever after" finite, "the end", but it does provide an end to the story they were telling--and the rest of what comes after isn't part of that story.

PILGRIMAGE is a beautifully shot, outdoors adventure in the same mould as VALHALLA RISING. These films take place in rugged outdoor locations with minimal cast members and plotting; they typically involve a journey narrative, which here takes place in the form of a group of monks transporting a chest of precious treasure through Ireland. There's little dialogue but the film does boast some splendidly gritty action scenes which are every bit as good as those seen in big budget productions like APOCALYPTO. The cast is also well chosen: Tom Holland shows he has the acting chops ready for the Marvel big time, while Richard Armitage is an effectively imposing bad guy. Best of the lot is THE WALKING DEAD's Jon Bernthal playing a brooding mute; I loved Bernthal as Shane in that series and he continues to impress here.

As far as period pieces set in the middle ages go, this one isn't very glamorous. It's a decently well made film with some strong individual performances that basically carry a mostly disjointed and only slightly nuanced story. My rating for this movie is a fairly weak 7/10. That rating is floated higher than I would have normally given it for three specific reasons. First, the performances: Holland as the young, pious monk who has never known anything but life in the monastery yet quickly matures when faced with adversity. Bernthal as the obedient and entirely subservient mute with an obviously profound yet mysterious history who becomes the star of the show on more than one occasion without saying a word. Stanley Weber as the Cistercian, the guy the Church sends out to do their dirty work basically and effectively starts the "Pilgrimage" in the first place. Of course, there's also Richard Armitage as the surly French knight commanding his Baron father's equally surly men while throwing surly looks around all the time. This would have been a horribly dull and hard to watch movie if these guys didn't pull off these fairly typical medieval character archetypes well and it feels to me like they did.Second, the action and set sequences were well done. I tend to be the kind of person who is immediately thrown off by a bad transition or a sequence of shots that just don't really work well together. I didn't see very much of that in this film. Granted, it's not difficult managing scene transition when most every scene is shot outdoors in Ireland but when the action happens, it's brutal and effective.Third, symbolism. If you are someone who does not like it when a movie expects you to draw your own significance from the story it's trying to tell, this is not a movie you might like. Religion is a central theme in this movie and it is built on a foundation of symbolism that can be taken any number of different ways. If you like diving into the deeper meaning of things, you will actually love this movie. Especially how it ends.

The ancient times of Ireland are fascinating, yet rarely represented in cinema. This film offers a glimpse of the burgeoning Christian faith, ancient and mysterious pagan traditions, and military upheaval. These forces characterise Ireland in the 1200s. There are clashes between belief systems and brutal military forces. The film portrays devout faith and a closeness to nature. The hills and valleys are beautiful, and often depicted in a suitably harsh and forbidding manner, while the plot and characters are nicely layered with good action-packed twists and turns.I recommend this film to anyone with an interest in Ireland, ancient times, or religion.