# 10 How to Train Your Dragon - Toothless VS Red Death
(Toothless and Hiccup in action)
Hiccup up, and the team takes on Red Death, a giant dragon with Toothless, and all the other smaller dragons do his bidding like a bully in a schoolyard. Hiccup’s quick wit lets him notice things that other Vikings, especially the other teens in his group, don’t. “That thing has wings! Okay, let’s see if it can use them.” Hiccup to Toothless. Finding the smallest detail is what sets up Hiccup to win the fight and save the day.
What's great about this scene:
- It’s a dragon fight, what’s not to love about that. Seriously my kids and I both cheered on Hiccup and Toothless.
- The animation of the dragon and Viking fighting Red death is merely stunning.
- Seeing the teamwork amongst the Viking’s Teens and the rest of the village is a great lesson for kids.
- It is probably one of the most action-packed scenes in a kid movie I’d seen in a long time.
- This scene was the defining moment of the first How to Train your Dragon and the whole series.
# 9 The 13th Warrior - Example Battle For Prince Wigliff
(Some lessons must be taught the hard way)
So the best worst secret in my group of friends is how much I love the 13th Warrior. One of my favorite scenes is when the Prince challenges Herger to a duel to prove that Buliwyf and his men are unfit to assist in the fight against the Wendol. Prince Wigliff’s constant boasting of himself and his men’s strength lands him in a row where he had to put his money where his mouth is. When Herger uses deception to win the duel, it’s a costly lesson for the prince and Ibn.
What's great about this scene:
- There were many important lessons in this one scene that even Sun Tzu would be proud of
- It drips with dark comedy.
- The scene is a cheese match to see who is the most skilled warrior. The younger fighter Angus (and Prince Wigliff”s stand-in for the duel) has brute strength on his side. However, Herger has age and wisdom on his. Throughout the years, he’s learned that brute force alone will get you only so far as a warrior, but you also have to learn to calculate and be cunning to win a battle.
- Herger was so sure he’d win that he already had money on him to pay for Angus’s burial.
- One of the movie’s best quotes is from Herger explaining his deception to Ibn “Deception is the point! Any fool can calculate strength. That’s all he’s been doing from the moment they saw us. Now he has to calculate what he can’t see.” Herger to Ibn and Buliwyf
# 8 The Last Kingdom - The Final Battle Among Vikings and Saxons
Ahh, one of history's oldest battles and favorite to be retold by Hollywood throughout the years. The Vikings and Saxons have fought each other since the Norse first went to England. “ Hold the line! We work as one! We do not quit!” Uhtred calls out in a calm and commanding demeanor of a well-seasoned general on the battlefield moments before the attack. The back and forth between the two armies giving commands and marching ever slowly towards one another as they prepare for battle is nothing more than impressive.
What's great about this scene:- Got to love a good shield wall
- Although Uhtred and Skorpa already drew the battle lines, it does show the truth of war. That no one is safe, even those off the battlefield
- That Skorpa beheaded the Saxon Queen to weaken the other side. Now that’s just nasty; however, it does not work as the enemy has planned.
- The death blow given to Skorpa by Uhtred is probably one of the best examples of controlled rage I’ve ever seen in a fight scene since Equilibrium.
- When asked for additional orders, one of the Viking leaders looks on in awe and asks the soldier, “did you see that? He came as the priest said...their God is with them.” One would think a seasoned Viking lord on the battlefield would not care about such things, but one needs to remember that the Vikings were superstitious and believed that the Gods did intervene in the world of men when one side was just and the other wasn’t.
#7 Marvel's Thor - Thor Reclaims Mjolnir - Defeats Destroyer
Bad boy Thor has finally seen the errors of his way in the first Thor movie and learns what it means to be the protector of Midgard. “Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine and end this.” Before earning back his powers to defeat the Destroyer sent by Loki, he has to die and be reborn into the Demi-God we all know and love.
What's great about this scene:
- Thor’s impassioned speech to Loki and willingness to sacrifice himself for mere strangers shows how worthy the God of Thunder is.
- Who doesn’t love watching Chris Hansworth kick some ass?
- Or watch as Mjolnir flies into his hands.
- Of all the Thor movies and Marvel Avengers, this is one of my favorite fight scenes as it is more of redemption for Thor, which he takes on all of his adventures.
- That bitch slap, though, from the Destroyer, ouch!
#6 Vinland Saga - Throes First Appearance
Before we even get into the start of the series, we are with an opening battle that sets the anime’s pace and stage. “Why were you just standing there? Are you feeling unwell?” Thors, who has grown tired of fighting, slays his way through the enemy in a losing battle for him and his Viking party. Finally, seeing the means to an end when thrown overboard, Thors swims to shore and watches as both fleets appear decimated, leaving anyone to wonder who watches Vinland saga how anyone could have survived.
What's great about this scene:- The animation brings to life the acclaimed Comic Vinland saga, which has the battles leap from the page onto the screen— and strikingly executed that one can’t help but be mesmerized.
- Thorkell and Thors just clean house with anyone who tries to attack them on their longboat
- Thors underwater fight just proves how much of a badass he is.
- The creator of Vinland Saga depicts the reality of how war can and does affect humanity to where hardened warriors stare off into space even in battle.
- The pain and relief on Thors face when he realizes he escaped a fiery and watery grave speaks volumes as he watches from the beach.
# 5 Norsemen: Season 1 Homecoming
Even the best Vikings get tired of raiding after a bit, and Arvid is no exception. However, instead of asking his Jarl for a plot of land that he could cultivate and call his own, he decides that the grass is greener at Olvar’s place. His homestead is fully built and functional, with slaves and a wife all ready to go. "You Know, I Dig You. I Always Have And Always Will. And I Admire You For What You Have Accomplished So I Thought I'd Challenge You To Holmgang." - Arvid to Olvar. Neither realizes what the other is getting into with the holmgang. Olvar is not a fighter, and Arvid knows jack shit about farming or interacting with people without pillaging. Oliver’s whole plan of attack is hoping if he talks himself up, it will scare t Arvid; if not, he’ll use the poison he got to win the fight., while Arvid has no clue that Liv is a gold digger.
What's great about this scene:- Norsemen has many great and memorable fight scene,s but this one sticks out to me the most. I have it as one of my fight scenes that are amazing cause it’s just so funny while being epic at the same time.
- There’s nothing like a Duel to see if you get a wife, a house, and a farm.
- Poor Olvar, he never stood a chance, but he did talk a good game.
- Shows off just how badass Arvid is
- Never again will you see a whole village cheer in joy as they watch someone get split in two
# 4 Vikings - Season 6 - Lagertha’s Death
The scene opens with a woman in traditional dress singing in Nordic tells the tale of Lagertha. Flash to the next stage, Lagertha rides into town in the middle of a storm, soaked to the bone and passed out on her horse only to fall off and have pains and trouble walking and has a vision of the Seer who has predicted her fate to die by the hands of her one of her beloved’s sons. Flash to Hvitserk in his hut, rambling how his brother Ivar has come for him, and it’s their fates to face off with one another. Hvitserk, so maddened by lack of sleep, attacks an already injured Lagertha. Their fates entwined and sealed a stage set by the Gods that neither had control over.
What's great about this scene:- The music OMG, could it be any more profound and epic. Every time I hear it, I get teary-eyed and can still vividly see Lagertha’s death as she fights with Hvitserk.
- Ivar has Hvitserk so terrified that he’ll seek revenge on his brother that he sees Ivar wherever he goes. Hvitserk is driven mad that when the lightning flashes in the sky, he thinks Lagetha is Ivar and that he’s fighting his brother for his life.
- Watching Hvitserk just go nuts on what he thinks is God form of his younger brother Ivar as a serpent only shows the depths of the trauma inflicted on him by Ivar.
- Both have fought so long to avoid or change their fate that in the end, it didn’t matter; they both played into the Gods hands.
- Lagertha’s words of comfort to Hvitserk as she dies in his arms tell us the type of woman she is. “It is what the seer foretold that one day I would be killed by a son of Ragnar. I could not escape it, nor could you. Weep not, poor Hvitserk. Tonight I will sit with my beloved Ragnar in the halls of the gods. I..I’ve lived a full life. I am not afraid” And if that doesn’t make you cry, I don’t know what will.
# 3 The Secret of Kells
(How others saw Vikings throughout history)
One of my favorite movies to watch with my kids when they were little was a way for me to introduce animation from other areas of the globe. The secret of Kells tells the story of the Book of Kells and how it survived invading Vikings. Abbot Cellach, the uncle to Brendan, is obsessed with safety and keeping everyone inside the walls to protect the village around his monastery from the Viking hoards. Alas, the walls come down, and the gate is broken open as the Vikings attack. “The steps aren’t strong enough, and there are too many! It’s too late.” The Vikings set fire to the village and plundering it of its riches from the monks.
What's great about this scene:
- The animation is fantastic and a blend of 2D style American and Japanese animation while still having an Irish and medieval look and feel.
- The Vikings look like one would imagine at that time, with tales of warning told around campfires and taverns. The bulky build and dark coloring of their clothing make the Viking look terrifying.
- Brendan’s cleverness saves him and fellow monk brother Aiden from the Vikings by creating a smokescreen that lets them sneak away into a secret passage leading to the forest around their village. Yet, not moments later, Aiden must do the same for Brendan when he sees his uncle struck down and lying on the ground.
- It shows how terrifying it was to be on the other side of a Viking invasion.
- I love the use of ravens to symbolize the impending Viking invasion.
#2 Marvel’s Thor - Thor Vs. the Frost Giants - Battle of Jotunheim
(If only the Frost Giants knew when to quit)
I know some of you are reading this list are like, wait, not the battle with the Frost Giants; how does that not make your top ten list. Well, it does; it was just tough to place and ties up there with my number one. Thor’s vanity and temper get the best of him in the opening battle with only one little sentence “ Run back home, little princess” And like that, the guardian of Midgard goes into an all-out rage with Loki giving a look that says fuck! Thank you, Frost Giant Sentry. We were going to leave. Still, now I have to clean up this mess of my brothers. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, and we would have been gone. Poor Loki, a God’s work is never done.
What's great about this scene:
- You get to see Thor and his fellow DemiGods in action.
- Loki’s trickery is badass, but he also finds out that the frost giant's touch does nothing to him, whereas it harms everyone else.
- The fight was going easy for them until Thor’s ego got in the way and asked for a challenge.
- The Frost Giant beast is so cute, terrifying, a tank on legs; how can you not love destruction on four legs.
- The fight’s CGI and choreography make the scene believable like you are there, and this is happening.
# 1 The 13th Warrior Prayer and Final Battle scene
(There is honor in a good death)
Before the fight even starts, you see Ibn’s true warrior spirit and that of his Viking companions as they await the final battle and death by the Wendol. “Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever” - the main cast. There is no fear; there is no panic; there is only acceptance of what is to come. There is a calm quiet before the storm. And once the Wendol attack that calm turns into focus, the peace turns into a warrior's rage and determination.
What's great about this scene:
- The fight starts where the movie begins, with the funeral prayer of the Vikings. Ibn’s predecessor advises him that the prayer and human sacrifice were the old ways and that he would never see them again. Now he gets to live it.
- Buliwyf, the leader of the 13 warriors, is badly injured in the last fight with the Wendol and was just made Jarl of his tribe. Knowing he will die a pauper, the King that Buliwyf and the other surviving warriors sent to help tell him that he will bury Buliwyf as one. Buliwyf’s ending is bittersweet, knowing that he gave his all to help his fellow Vikings.
- Did I mention the sweet choreography used for the sword fights and the crescendo of music to pump you up?
- It’s one of those fight scenes where you got to give credit where credit is due to the enemy. The Wendol are skilled cannibalistic warriors. They attack in broad daylight is in retaliation to killing the Wendol Mother. Although highly capable, the Wendol works best in the cover of darkness. However, that does not mean they still don’t hold their own in the final battle.
- The boss fight between Buliwyf and the Wendol Father while the battle for the Viking stronghold goes on around them is epic in its own right. Two leaders of equal skill and battle tactics in a showdown see who will be victorious and who will be dinner.
Also Be Sure To Read:
- [Top 10] Best Viking Fight Scenes That Are Amazing
- [Top 10] Best Viking Music We Love!
- Top 15 Viking Movies You Need to Watch
- Top 25 Best Viking Berserker Art
- Top 10 Best Viking Fantasy Books to Read
- Top 15 Best Viking Games to Play Right Now
- Top 10 Famous Vikings Who Were Fearsome
- [Top 10] Best Viking Books With Great Story
