Ragnarok (2013)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Foreign made films have a bad reputation for being long and boring. This is simply not true. Some of the best movies I have seen (including this one, obviously) were made in other countries. I must warn you, though, that since it is foreign it must be watched with English subtitles or dubbing.Although it takes a little while to develop, once we get to the actual creature hunt, it was worth it. The creature itself (I won't say what it was, for fear of spoiling it) looks awesome and scary. The situations the characters get in make you wonder, "How are they going to get out of this?" It's not a B movie at all; the special effects and acting are nothing to be laughed at. It is exciting and the characters have a realistic quality.Looking back, I don't even recall reading the subtitles - it was so good I remember it as if all the lines were English. In short, "Ragnarok" is great adventure story worthy of a watch.

This is my first review here. First of all, I need to emphasize that this is a bit of soft horror movie. That already means that my scale is lowered (because there is LOAD of utter junk horror movies) and adjusted to the genre. By no means is this LOTR or Guardians of the Galaxy, and it should not be watched as one of those movies, characterized by huge budget and top of the line acting.If you take above said in consideration, this is all in all a good family movie that adds a bit of horror elements. Just the right amount to scare kids and entertain adults as well. I am not a parent, but i am an adult and i find this movie good. Acting is actually VERY good, in rank with top of the class movies out there. CGI is also good, although i did want to see a little more of if. Language is Norway, but i don't live in English speaking area, so we watch everything with subtitles anyway, and kids read at age of 4-5. It could be issue for kids that had learned to watch movies without subtitles, so be warned. And, personally, non English movie that is above average is quite refreshing. Even approach is somehow different and "new" compare to Hollywood.All in all, i do recommend this movie. It is not an Alien, but story is still better than, say, Prometheus, and acting is top of the class. 8/10.

This Scandinavian production fails to live up to its expectation. All the actors do commendable jobs and the cinematography is good, but it falls much short in providing the viewers with ample horror scenes and monster action that a scary monster movie is supposed to. With all that being said, the movie does have something to offer in terms of some tensed moments and the way in which it connects certain stories of Norse mythology with reality. The plot revolves around an archaeologist, his family and his co- worker. They go for a trip/adventure that becomes their nightmare as they encounter a giant monster with maternal instincts. However, the monster action in the movie is literally limited to few moments and the viewers don't even get a full view of the creature even once. The movie has some hint of resemblance with "Jurrasic Park" except for the fact that it is not even close to it in terms of the thrill or screenplay. It does manage to keep the audience fairly entertained but for a few dry patches. As an ardent fan of monster movies, I would say that it was kind of a letdown.

I approached this movie with caution after reading a couple of the reviews here, and was pleasantly surprised. It is not a super violent or scary film - it is rated PG-13 after all - but it does have its fair share of tension and holds your interest throughout.The plot has been given in another review so I'll just give some highlights: The scenery is gorgeous and beautifully photographed. Norway and Finnmark have some breathtaking vistas and the cinematographer captures it all. It's a pleasure to watch a movie where a filmmaker will carefully compose a shot, use a tripod and deliver the cinematic awe one hopes for in a film as opposed to the innumerable, annoying shaky cam films we've been enduring for the last decade by second rate filmmakers.The CGI is top notch. The serpent actually feels solid and 3 dimensional in its interaction with the environment and actors. Compare this to the crap churned out by The Asylum and found in any SyFy original movie where the creatures look like cartoons badly superimposed on the film.The script is well thought out. Characters speak and behave in a way that you can recognize. They have real interactions that ring true; these people feel real. Again, compare this with the junk that passes for plot and characterization in many recent SyFy films which present cartoonish, cardboard cutout characters who just pose for the camera and get killed, usually while uttering pointless inanities. In Ragnarok, I actually cared about what was happening to the characters.And to adrianmurray45 who called the acting here bad - my friend, you need to watch a LOT more films. The acting here, apart from some sketchy moments with the young boy, was fine. You want bad acting? Check out any Uwe Boll film (yeah, I went there) and then get back to me, 'kay? You do not understand what bad acting is.It's not a great film, but a solidly entertaining PG-13 adventure.