Season of the Witch, 2011 (Amazon Prime ✨)

Season of the Witch is a 2011 American supernatural action–adventure film directed by Dominic Sena and written by Bragi Schut. The movie stars Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman as two Teutonic knights returning from the Crusades, only to discover that their homeland has been ravaged by the Black Death. When Church authorities accuse a young woman, played by Claire Foy, of witchcraft and blame her for spreading the plague, the knights are ordered to escort her to a remote monastery, where monks are expected to perform a ritual to remove the supposed curse. The film marks a reunion between Sena and Cage, who had earlier collaborated on Gone in 60 Seconds (2000).

TRAILER

Plot

In the 14th century, knights Behmen von Bleibruck (Nicolas Cage) and his loyal companion Felson (Ron Perlman) fight for the Holy Roman Empire in the Crusades, slaughtering armies in the name of God. After years of brutal warfare, the two men become disillusioned with the Church’s cruelty when they witness innocent civilians — including women and children — massacred under the false banner of divine justice. Realizing that they have been serving corrupt motives rather than true faith, Behmen and Felson desert the army and abandon their vows.

Traveling across plague-ravaged Europe, they encounter a land devastated by the Black Death. Corpses line the roads, and entire villages lie in ruin. While seeking food and shelter, they arrive in a city under quarantine, where they are quickly recognized as deserters and arrested by the local guards. The city’s ruler, Cardinal D’Ambroise (Christopher Lee), who himself is dying from the plague, offers the knights a chance at redemption: they must escort a young woman accused of being a witch to a distant monastery, where monks will perform a ritual to lift the curse they believe she has unleashed upon the land.

The woman, known only as The Girl (Claire Foy), has been imprisoned in an iron cage, suspected of causing the plague through witchcraft. Behmen insists that she will receive a fair trial, not a summary execution, while Felson remains skeptical. The two knights agree to the task in exchange for the forgiveness of their crimes and freedom from punishment.

They are travelling with a group that begins a dangerous journey through desolate forests, steep mountains, and plague-infested villages. As they travel, unnatural events begin to occur: the woman shows superhuman strength, whispers seem to echo from nowhere, and she appears to know intimate details about each man’s past sins. Tension grows within the group, divided between those who believe she is evil and those who think she is an innocent scapegoat.

When they camp in the woods, Eckhart is lured by the sound of his dead daughter’s voice — only to be killed by wolves. Later, while crossing a rickety bridge over a deep ravine, the witch manipulates the chains of her cage, nearly causing everyone to fall to their deaths. Her powers appear undeniable, and fear overtakes the men.

As the journey continues, Behmen grows increasingly protective of the girl, convinced that she may be possessed rather than inherently evil. He promises her safety and a fair hearing. However, when they reach the remote monastery, they find that all the monks have already died of the plague, their bodies scattered in grotesque forms of agony.

Debelzaq discovers that the monks had been transcribing an ancient holy text, The Key of Solomon, a grimoire of exorcisms and spells meant to imprison demons. It is then revealed that The Girl is not a witch at all — but a demon that had possessed her body. The demon had manipulated the superstitious Church into transporting it to the monastery, the only place where the Key of Solomon could be used to free it from human confinement.

As the truth dawns, the demon violently bursts from the girl’s body, revealing its full, monstrous form — winged, horned, and burning with fire. It kills Hagamar instantly and sets the monastery ablaze. The survivors — Behmen, Felson, Debelzaq, and Kay — prepare to fight for their lives.

Debelzaq recites the ritual passages from the Key of Solomon while Behmen and Felson engage the demon in a desperate battle. Felson is impaled and killed, while Debelzaq is burned alive by the creature’s flames. Behmen finally manages to stab the demon, pinning it long enough for Kay to finish the exorcism. The demon screams and disintegrates, and the girl — now freed from possession — collapses, unconscious but alive.

Behmen, mortally wounded, entrusts Kay with the girl’s protection, telling him to ensure she lives a life free of accusation or fear. He dies from his injuries as the rising sun illuminates the destroyed monastery. Kay buries Behmen and Felson together, marking their graves with swords. The girl awakens, confused but grateful, and Kay tells her that the knights saved her life. Together, they ride away toward a new beginning, leaving behind the plague and the darkness that haunted them.

Rating: 8 Stars

The Northman, 2022 (Netflix)

The Northman is a 2022 epic historical action drama film directed by Robert Eggers. Set in 10th-century Scandinavia, the story follows Amleth, a Viking prince who embarks on a relentless quest to avenge the murder of his father, rescue his mother, and reclaim his birthright. The film draws heavily from Norse mythology and the legend that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

TRAILER

PLOT

In the late 9th century, the Viking king Aurvandill War-Raven returns home to the island of Hrafnsey after a campaign overseas. He reunites with his wife, Queen Gudrún, and their young son, Prince Amleth, performing ritualistic ceremonies to prepare Amleth to one day inherit the throne. During a secret rite led by the shaman Heimir the Fool, father and son howl like wolves and symbolically consume a heart, binding them as kin under Odin’s gaze.

Soon after, Aurvandill is ambushed and mortally wounded by his half-brother Fjölnir, who stages a coup to seize the kingdom. Amleth witnesses Fjölnir’s men murder his father and seize Gudrún. Before they can capture him, Amleth escapes by boat, vowing vengeance:

"I will avenge you, Father. I will save you, Mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir."

Years pass. Amleth grows into a fearsome berserker warrior, hardened by battle and raiding across Eastern Europe. Having abandoned all traces of his royal past, he lives only for war, rage, and revenge. After a brutal raid on a Slavic village, Amleth encounters a seeress (portrayed by Björk) who reminds him of his destiny — to avenge his father and rescue his mother from Fjölnir’s grasp. She foretells that his fate is intertwined with a maiden-king — a woman of royal spirit — and that his path will be guided by a mystical sword known as the Draugr blade, which can only be unsheathed under moonlight or at the gates of Hel.

Determined, Amleth disguises himself as a slave and sneaks aboard a ship bound for Iceland, where Fjölnir has fled after losing his stolen kingdom. Fjölnir now lives as a chieftain of a modest farm, stripped of royal power but ruling a household through fear and cruelty.

Among the slaves, Amleth meets Olga of the Birch Forest, a Slavic woman accused of witchcraft. Drawn to her strength and cunning, Amleth allies with Olga, who becomes both his lover and spiritual partner in his quest. The two secretly invoke Norse rituals, combining her earth magic and his berserker spirit to plot revenge from within.

Amleth locates the Draugr sword in a haunted burial mound, defeating its undead guardian in combat. With the weapon now bound to his destiny, Amleth begins a campaign of terror — stalking Fjölnir’s men at night, impaling them, and leaving their bodies displayed as sacrificial warnings. His acts sow fear and superstition among the household, leading many to believe that a vengeful spirit haunts them.

As the killings escalate, Amleth reveals himself to Gudrún, expecting to be reunited with his mother. Instead, she shocks him by revealing the truth: she was never a captive — she willingly chose Fjölnir, despising Aurvandill’s brutality. She even urges Amleth to kill her and take the throne himself if vengeance is truly his purpose. Horrified, Amleth learns that his own conception was born of assault, and that Gudrún views Fjölnir as her true husband.

This revelation fractures Amleth’s world. Yet his fury reignites when Gudrún’s and Fjölnir’s young son, Gunnar, mocks him, unaware that they share the same bloodline. When Amleth kills Fjölnir’s eldest son in a ritual combat trial, the farm descends into chaos. Fjölnir vows revenge while Amleth and Olga flee into the mountains.

As they escape, Olga tells Amleth she is pregnant with twins — the “maiden-king” foretold by prophecy, meaning their bloodline will rule. Amleth realizes his fate is sealed: if he leaves with her, his family’s vengeance remains unfulfilled, but if he stays, he ensures his children’s future. He parts from Olga, entrusting her and their unborn heirs to safety on a passing ship.

Returning alone to Fjölnir’s farm, Amleth frees the remaining slaves and slaughters Fjölnir’s guards. He kills Gudrún and Gunnar after they attack him in desperation, weeping over their bodies with anguish and guilt. Fjölnir discovers the carnage and demands a final duel “at the Gates of Hel,” a volcanic crater glowing with molten fire.

In a climactic battle beneath the erupting volcano, Amleth and Fjölnir fight to the death — both mortally wounded, neither yielding. As Fjölnir is beheaded, Amleth collapses, his wounds fatal. 

In his final vision, Amleth sees a Valkyrie carrying him toward Valhalla, ascending through storm clouds toward the afterlife, while Olga safely escapes by sea, caressing her pregnant belly — the promise of a new lineage.

Rating: 10 Stars

The Map that Leades to you, 2025

 The Map That Leads to You is a 2025 American romantic drama film directed by Lasse Hallström. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by J.P. Monninger, and stars Madelyn Cline, KJ Apa, Sofia Wylie, Madison Thompson, Orlando Norman, and Josh Lucas. The film was released on Amazon Prime Video on August 20, 2025.

TRAILER

PLOT

Heather Mulgrew, a recent college graduate, is preparing to begin her career in finance in New York City. Before settling into her new life, she embarks on a summer trip through Europe with her friends Amy and Connie. While traveling on a night train to Barcelona, Heather meets Jack, a New Zealander following his grandfather’s post–World War II travel journal.

The two are immediately drawn to each other, discovering that they are both reading The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. As they journey across several European cities — including Barcelona, Porto, Pamplona, Rome, and Bilbao — Heather and Jack’s connection deepens. Heather, who has always lived according to plans and schedules, begins to experience a freer, more spontaneous way of life through Jack.

Their romance grows, but Jack harbors a devastating secret: his cancer has returned. Fearing that Heather will sacrifice her future for him, Jack chooses to distance himself without revealing the truth. Heartbroken, Heather returns to New York, resumes her structured career path, and struggles with the emptiness of a life that now feels unfulfilling.

Months later, Heather attends her friend Connie’s wedding in Barcelona and receives a letter from Jack. In it, he confesses his illness, explains his decision to leave, and tells her that his grandfather’s journal — the “map” he had been following — ultimately led him to her. Inspired, Heather travels to the small town of Santa Pau, where she finds Jack waiting. The film concludes with their reunion, embracing the love they discovered despite the uncertainty of the future.

Rating: 10 Stars

Seven Kings Must Die, 2023 Netflix (Movie)

Seven Kings Must Die, 2023 is a historical drama film and the conclusion to the television series The Last Kingdom. Set in the 10th century following the death of King Edward of Wessex, the film depicts the power struggle that erupts across the kingdoms of England as various claimants and factions vie for control.

TRAILER

PLOT

Uhtred of Bebbanburg, now older and in semi-retirement, is drawn back into conflict when Queen Eadgifu and her young son seek refuge at his stronghold, fearing for their safety after Edward's death. Uhtred learns that Edward’s eldest son, Aethelstan, has taken the throne and is being influenced by a mysterious and manipulative advisor, Ingilmundr.

Under Ingilmundr’s counsel, Aethelstan adopts increasingly ruthless policies, including forced conversions and violent expansionism, causing unrest among both allies and enemies. This behavior alienates Uhtred and other former supporters. Meanwhile, a coalition of rival kings — including Anlaf of the Norse, Constantin of Scotland, and others — begins to form in the north, threatening civil war.

As tensions escalate, Uhtred attempts to mediate peace but is ultimately drawn into the decisive conflict. The film culminates in the Battle of Brunanburh, a historically significant clash that determines the fate of England. Uhtred plays a key strategic role in the battle, helping Aethelstan achieve victory, but at great personal cost.

In the aftermath, Aethelstan renounces marriage and heirs to ensure a unified succession, paving the way for a single English crown. Uhtred, wounded and possibly dying, reflects on his life and legacy. The film ends ambiguously, with Uhtred standing before the gates of Valhalla, unsure if he is alive or has passed on leaving his fate to interpretation.

CAST

Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred of Bebbanburg

The legendary warrior returns as the central figure, now older and weary. Uhtred is caught in the chaos after King Edward's death, trying to prevent civil war and guide England toward unification.

Harry Gilby as Aethelstan

Uhtred’s former ward, now the ambitious and ruthless King of the Anglo-Saxons. He seeks to claim all of Britain under one crown but is manipulated by dark influences.

Laurie Davidson as Ingilmundr

A charming and mysterious advisor to Aethelstan, with secret motives and personal ambitions. His manipulation plays a central role in Aethelstan’s actions.

Mark Rowley as Finan

Uhtred’s loyal Irish warrior companion, still standing by his side in the final battles.

Arnas Fedaravicius as Sihtric

Another of Uhtred’s trusted men, still fighting by his lord’s side in the final chapter.

Rod Hallett as King Constantin

The Scottish king who forms a powerful coalition against Aethelstan in the north.

Pekka Strang as King Anlaf

A cunning Norse king and key antagonist who joins forces with other rulers to resist Aethelstan’s growing power.

Ewan Horrocks as Aelfweard

Aethelstan’s half-brother and rival claimant to the English throne. His presence causes further instability after King Edward’s death.

Zachary Nachbar-Seckel as Brother Eadwulf

A monk who assists Uhtred and helps uncover Ingilmundr’s influence.

Elaine Cassidy as Queen Eadgifu

Widow of King Edward and protective mother of a child who could be a future king. She pleads with Uhtred for help.

Ingrid García-Jonsson as Eadgifu of Kent (younger)

A character linked to the royal line, seeking sanctuary and political protection.

Ross Anderson as Domnal

A Scottish noble involved in the resistance against Aethelstan.

Rating: 10 Stars