Directed by:
Joe PennaCinematography:
Tómas Örn TómassonComposer:
Joseph TrapanesePlots(1)
A man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown. (Prime Video)
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Reviews (13)
Europe's best actor Mads Mikkelsen fights for his life in the cold Antarctic in this new adventure survival drama. Fans of survival dramas will surely enjoy this one, but the film is too minimalistic for my taste, and there are no surprises or interesting scenes. Mads barely speaks, so the only thing to praise is his skill and creativity to survive. It's believably shot and everything makes sense, but the film lacks drive and tension, unfortunately. There is indeed a polar bear, but compared to The Revenant, it's not even worth mentioning. For fans of Mads, nature and survival films a must see, the rest can ignore it as they won't miss much. 60%
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A melancholic journey undertaken by two castaways across a snowbound continent. Everything relies entirely on Mikelsen, who drags the movie along as doggedly as he does the sledge. This movie about a man pitted against nature, which cheats whenever it can, is bleak, but it has surprises in store. Unfortunately the directing has no surprises, which is a bit of a shame. Penna takes no chances and leaves everything to one excellent Danish actor and Icelandic exteriors. It’ll be alright.
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What I missed there is directorial skill to tame on camera the element of nature, which abounds in Kormakur’s Everest, for example. Arctic is smaller, sparser, more restrained in its production design and considerably poorer in casting. It's not a grand story, but the journey of one man who makes key decisions to survive under extreme conditions. A survival story is always going to be relatively cool and evocative, as the mental strains in an individual's basic survival instincts are a compelling and eternal theme, but Arctic could have perhaps played out a little better with a slightly more colorful story. In short, I can't shake the impression that they could have got more out of Antarctica. Mikkelsen is, of course, great.
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A powerful survival drama about human tenacity, determination and strength to survive at all costs, dominated by Mikkelsen with his top performance and a screenplay that is able to take full advantage of the seemingly hopeless situation, the bleakness of the Arctic environment and economical props. The consistently escalating tension and gradual tightening of the conditions that the heroically capable, persistent and good protagonist has to face in all respects capture your attention from beginning to end, even though the film finds itself on the verge of unbelief a few times.
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After a slow start, Arctic takes on a more dramatic character due to the hopelessness of the situation
depicted, without resorting to thriller clichés, while retaining the parameters of a minimalist,
believable survival drama worthy of the participation of my current favorite European actor. But
don’t expect anything revolutionary, such as Boyle’s 127 Hours. [Cannes]
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