Review of Valhalla Rising (2009) by Arin D — 13 Jan 2011
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man brings death. Abandoned Viking slave Mads Mikkselsen, sporting one eye, gets shanghaied into a team of militant early Christians, who lose their way and end up in a strange, violent land (shades of Erik the Red).
Atmospheric and slow, with the use of chaptering to sub-divide the film - this could have been a disaster. But Nicolas Winding pulls it off, just about. I see this as a study in palettes: grey and green for the sequence set in the Highlands, then blues and oranges for the mist, and then cool greens and mud brown for the 'New Jerusalem' sequence.
As a study of the power of faith this is less interesting. The music by Danish duo 'Peter Peter / Peter Kyed' is a perfect fit, sometimes overpowering the glacial plot, but generally a great reward in itself.
Listen and watch. Just don't see the ridiculous trailer (who makes these?) which tries to sell this as an 'action' film. Hilarious.
This review of Valhalla Rising (2009) was written by Arin D on 13 Jan 2011.
Valhalla Rising has generally received mixed reviews.
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