Black Death

Magnet Releasing | Release Date: March 11, 2011

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 74 Ratings

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SchweinehundMar 11, 2011

The movie takes place in a plague-ridden medieval England. Our protagonist is a sensitive young monk, struggling to balance his sexual cravings for his secret lover and his religious purity. That was actually quite annoying. So you got thisThe movie takes place in a plague-ridden medieval England. Our protagonist is a sensitive young monk, struggling to balance his sexual cravings for his secret lover and his religious purity. That was actually quite annoying. So you got this remote village, that somehow was unaffected by the plague, and this buncha guys set out on a quest to find the cure. Oh, and the young monk tags along with them. I enjoyed the first half of the movie, it had that gritty "dark age" atmosphere you are probably looking for when you watch a movie with the title of Black Death. There is a sword fight in the woods with some bandits, which I enjoyed. The latter half of the movie, when our guys get in the touch with the locals, is too slow and quite boring actually. I don't want to spoil it, but there you have this witch that has taken control of the village and she doesn't like strangers very much.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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in2themusicMar 22, 2011

BORING with a capital Oring Although the acting was good the story had no meaning, was totally predictable and no real ending...I kept feeling like there would be a twist or revelation that hadnt already been figured out but it never came

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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worleyjamersDec 7, 2012

I'm completely torn on this film. There were parts, particularly in the beginning, that I didn't enjoy that much, but other parts towards the end that I found very excellent. I think the main issue with the film is the pace, it's very slow.I'm completely torn on this film. There were parts, particularly in the beginning, that I didn't enjoy that much, but other parts towards the end that I found very excellent. I think the main issue with the film is the pace, it's very slow. It's not at all boring, it's just extremely difficult to get connected or interested to in story. I loved the Medieval setting and the Bubonic Plague as a driving force of the story, but something was missing. As the film progressed, the story picks up a lot. In fact, the last 25 minutes or so were very nice. The intensity picked up, emotions came out, and the film began to dig into some theological ideas that I think really worked here. The ending "twist" was also nice, it wasn't mind blowing or anything, but it was unique and completely fitting. Overall i'd say this is a pretty good film. Not stellar, but I was pleased with the film. I'd recommend it.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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MattBrady99Jun 20, 2019

A brutal and grim medieval drama.

Not a great movie with issues in the story narrative, but I was entertained enough to stay with it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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FilipeNetoSep 25, 2021

This film takes us to one of the most tense moments in European history: the Black Death was the great pandemic par excellence, it killed millions of people in a few months without any effective measure being consciously taken, becauseThis film takes us to one of the most tense moments in European history: the Black Death was the great pandemic par excellence, it killed millions of people in a few months without any effective measure being consciously taken, because nothing is known about viruses. If today we face considerably more benign pandemics with a certain degree of confidence and knowledge, we owe it to these moments. Outbreaks of plague would be recurrent all over Europe until the 18th century, but none were like the one in 1348. And honestly, it's hard for me to think that one day our civilization might have to go through something like this again. We are no longer psychologically prepared for such a high degree of mortality.

In this film, a monk tries to save the woman he loves, and then leaves the monastery to join her, taking advantage of the passage of a military escort who goes to a swampy area, where it is said that there is a village that, by Demon's evil spells conjured by a witch or necromancer, has managed to escape the advances and retreats of the disease. Of course, the soldiers' mission is to hunt the necromancer, even if that means massacring the village.

The great value of this film, for me, is the deft way it creates and builds the ambience of a historical period when, for most people, the world were living on the brink of the Armageddon. With the Church unable to stop the disease and all the masses, processions and prayers being ineffective to combat such a great evil, the people believed that they were facing one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and God was punishing the World. Fear and superstition reigned, and the film dexterously deals with it. There are, however, errors of anachrony, and several characters that sound strange for the unmedieval way in which they think and act, but I'm willing to pardon some of these flaws.

Of the cast, Sean Bean is the actor who stands out the most. He's becoming one of those actors specializing in period movies (he's done "Lord of the Rings", whose ambiance couldn't be more medieval, and the "Game of Thrones" series) and is competent when wearing the armor. The actor naturally stands out in this film and gives us another good job. Eddie Redmayne is convincing as a monk, even though his way of acting sometimes has very little medieval. Carice van Houten is charismatic and elegant, but too pretty and young for the character, as her leadership role in the village called for an older figure. In that period, the elders were an important authority to follow.

Technically, the film has several positive points, starting with the excellent cinematography and film work, which makes the best use of natural light, cloudy days and fire shadows to thicken the atmosphere of supernatural tension. Interestingly, there is nothing in this film that is supernatural, apart from the witch and the resistant Germanic paganism. Good choice of filming locations and satisfactory construction of sets and costumes helped.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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