Valhalla Rising (2010)

I wanted to but couldn't!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

RELEASED IN 2009 and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, "Valhalla Rising" takes place in the 11th century where a one-eyed mute thrall (Mads Mikkelsen) obtains his freedom in the Scottish Highlands and joins a band of Viking Christians on a voyage to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades, but the expedition doesn't go as planned. The movie definitely LOOKS and SOUNDS awesome with an ambient score reminiscent of Agalloch, but without the heavy riffing or manic drumming. It's an artsy non-blockbuster with a tone akin to "Aguirre, The Wrath of God" (1972) and "Black Robe" (1991). "Apocalypto" (2006) is a good modern comparison, although the story isn't as compelling as "Black Robe" or "Apocalypto." It has elements of "Apocalypse Now" (1979) but the thin story just isn't anywhere near as fascinating. Still, it's okay. There are some weak points, like the Viking chief saying "It's a river" when this would've been obvious about an hour earlier when the mist first cleared (aduh). I'm sure the director would chalk it up to artistic license. Another issue is that the film is slow with not enough events to justify its runtime. As such, we get needlessly drawn-out scenes like the discovery of fresh water (which was obvious from the get-go of the sequence). The whole episode could've been done in a third of the time given.THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 33 minutes and was shot in Scotland. WRITERS: Refn, Roy Jacobsen and Matthew Read.GRADE: BINTERPRETATION ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further unless you've seen the movie).The silent One-Eye is the incarnation of Odin. He is invincible and holds the power to see the future. He disdains the Christian Vikings who've usurped his influence over his people. He tests many in battle to see if they're worthy, but finds none. Nevertheless, he sullenly sees his people off to their new (holy) land, America, where Scandinavians were the third most numerous immigrants. The Boy is a type of Thor, his son, who will sort of replace him in America once the grim god ironically sacrifices himself à la Jesus Christ.

To much violence still very very very under rated this movie is way better then at least 99% movies which are being made in hollywood now dayz..........

Valhalla rising is an amazing movie. It's an impressive mix of nonexistent conversation, violence and, most of all, atmosphere. It's a art-house-piece that will not meet everyone's taste. I personally enjoyed the slow-paced piece in front of me, even though its almost complete lack of plot makes the movie hard to follow at times. It's a mixture of great shots, interesting characters and multiple slightly surprising elements.However, with an unclear trailer around and things like Game of Thrones, Vikings and similar filling a similar aesthetic, the expectation may be a way different movie. I can understand that people dislike this movie, but that's mainly because they're not the audience intended for this movie.

So I'd like to preface this review with a simple message: if you liked the look of this film from those awful trailers, you will almost without doubt hate this film. It is almost nothing about the fights and the blood and guts, although there are some of those scattered throughout this incredible movie.This film is f***ing incredible and if you've watched and enjoyed other Nicholas Winding Refen's films like Drive, then you are almost certain to like this one. However if you're more of an action-loving kind of person and you don't have a strong appreciation for art in films, then I'd give this a wide birth. Because trust me, I love this film - it's easily my favourite - but even for me it dragged on and on and on. The almost 1 and a half hours that it ran for felt more like 5. But I loved it for that, I got such an intense feeling of immersion that I have never experienced with a film before. Everything from the bleak landscapes, to amazing soundtrack, to the acting, to the whole soundscape makes this happen.As many previous reviewers have said, the typical Hollywood idea of a viking is a blond man with a big beard and an axe, who goes off and causes chaos. Here we see something different. Here we see a more true and a more human version of history. A version where the fight for survival is not just fought against people, but against the brutal landscape and their own bodies. Don't get me wrong, this film is not at all grounded in reality; there are many supernatural elements to it indeed, but despite that, it retains a very strange edge to it, one that I cannot put my finger on.I'm struggling to say much more about this film, so I apologise for the abrupt ending of the review, but what I'd like to end it with is that for me, this film easily deserves the 10/10 that I have given it, but given how 'alternative' this movie is, your mileage may very well vary.