Great German series :: Barbaren

Hey, what’s not to like?

Fierce warriors.

One of the sexiest main characters ever. God, Thusnelda is often so attractive she becomes unbearable to watch.

My only personal beef with this series is its violence towards children. Ever since becoming a father I’m highly sensitive to that. Scenes in which children are harmed never stop haunting me.

The series is fast-paced. It’s based on historic events so you cannot expect big plot twists, though there are some surprises along the way. Yes, the Romans are annihilated in the end. Anyone who’s had a decent history professor in highschool knows that.

Barbarians tells the story of how Roman commander Varus managed to lose three entire legions in the dark forests of Germania. This major bloodletting saved Europe beyond the Rhine of any long term Roman occupation. At least according to some historians. Some historians will tell you that it just made logistical sense for the Romans to stop at the Rhine.

It’s also the story of Arminius. The son of a German leader who was basically kidnapped by the Romans and groomed to later go back to his native land and rule their on behalf of the Romans.

Instead he turned against his kidnappers (no matter how much they had taught him or how many honorable promotions they had bestowed on him) and used his vast knowledge of the Roman ways to treat them to one of their most stinging defeats.

I personally think this destruction of three Roman legions did change history in a significant way.

It’s remarkably well filmed. Life in the forest looks realistic. The battle scenes are not the most impressive but they will send chills down your spine from time to time. Especially the German warriors look like fanatic hipsters with too much testosterone.

Story-wise it’s not as entertaining as Vikings for example, but the acting is good and I certainly found myself rooting for the main characters.

And I will repeat: Thusnelda is painfully beautiful to watch…