Ronal the Barbarian Review

Oh, those crazy Danes.  They took a concept that is usually reserved for kids and made a very adult comedy out of it.  Ronal follows the basic formula that made companies like Pixar so famous.  It takes the basic story of the underdog who is forced into an extraordinary situation that will make him the hero.  It's a story that we're all familiar with (the basic quest) and the delivery is very much akin to things like How to Train Your Dragon and Brave.  But, as I said, they made it a very adult movie along the lines of something like Road Trip or even Euro Trip.

On first thought, I didn't think something like that could work.  I'm very used to mature themed animation through things like Family Guy, the Simpsons and anything on Adult Swim.  But the animation in Ronal makes it look like it is geared towards children.  So it's kind of a surprise that it is as rude as it is.  But, for the most part, the jokes are very funny and clever.  There are a few throughout that are just predictable (like the fairy waitress in the tavern) but then they throw the Amazon warriors that act (and throw spears) like stereotypical bimbos and redeem themselves for any of the tired old jokes we all know.  It's things like the Amazons throughout this movie that makes it hilarious.

As for a story, there isn't much different that sets it apart.  Like I said, it's a basic story that we've all heard before.  But a classic quest story isn't the point of this movie.  The point is to make the audience laugh using the quest simply as a medium.  In that, they succeed.  Had it been longer, I would say it would have gotten redundant.  But it's just long enough to make it all seem fresh.

See it.  It's got a great time to laughs ratio.