Review of Valhalla Rising (2009) by Nathan R — 13 Jun 2012

For some reason, I feel this film is the closest I'll get to having an acid trip. To me, this is a film that you'll either love or you'll hate-and I am one of those people who love it. Now to make things clear-this is definitely not a film meant for mainstream audiences.

Don't expect a frenzied, action-adventure of any kind or anything else of the like. This film, though only ninety minutes, is slow-going, yes, but to me the combination of silence (there is occasional dialogue and a couple of pieces of music, but that's it-the rest is silence, as they say), and the beautiful cinematography gives "Valhalla Rising" a hypnotic quality and entrances you throughout the ninety-minute running time-well, it did for me anyway.

This is a film that made me think-what was it trying to communicate? What was it really about? What did it mean? It's a film that keeps me thinking about it long after it's over. To me, that's the mark of a good film.

And that's why I gave "Valhalla Rising" five stars-to me, this film is overall a bleak meditation on religion, war, and humanity itself.