Movie Title	Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Duration	153 seconds
Release	2019-05-03
Quality	MPG 1440p HDRip
Categories	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
speech	English
castname	Jyotsna C. Rapp, Kunis W. Khawlah, Nolan W. Hameem

[HD] [Watch] Pokémon Detective Pikachu Movie Length 2019

Film kurz

Spent : $244,258,779

Income : $752,973,987

Group : Chrestomathie - Frauen , Lustig - nostalgisch , Dokumentarfilm - Schreiben , Zynisch - Unabhängigkeit

Production Country : Kroatien

Production : Digest Television



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I’m going to write it straight away: I didn’t enjoy Pokémon Detective Pikachu as much as I wanted to. In some ways, it disappointed me. Now, you’re probably thinking “oh, he’s one of those people who never saw or played Pokémon in his life, and now he’s going to destroy the film because he never understood it”. Not even close. There are always three groups of people when it comes to these famous franchises that have massive fandoms: the hardcore fans who follow the respective saga since it was created and never once stopped supporting it; the fans who like or even love it, but either skipped or gave up at a certain point in time; the non-fans who never really got into it and don’t relate to any of what the previous two groups do.

I belong to the second group. I’m a fan of Pokémon, but since the end of the last decade that I stopped playing its video games and watching any series or movies about it. Nevertheless, I’m always as fair and impartial as possible to films and to the people who gave their all to deliver a great story. For hardcore fans, this movie might have everything you’ve ever wished for. Even I was able to understand that some scenes are filled (and I mean literally the whole screen) with references and Easter Eggs that the most dedicated fans will absolutely love. These moments alone can make you enjoy this film way more than fans like me.

However, we all know that while these sequences look fantastic and offer a lot of excitement, they are not enough to hold a narrative together or make it captivating. The Pokémons are gorgeous, and I found myself constantly in awe! Live-action will always have that crowd of haters that think the animated versions should stay animated, no matter what. There will always be people hating on these type of movies solely by the fact that they’re live-action. Honestly, I try very hard, but I can’t understand how people find an incredibly realistic Pikachu ugly or disgusting when it looks absolutely adorable and visually impressive. This will be such a long and exhausting debate throughout the 2020s, every time a live-action remake or adaptation is released, but I have faith people will come to accept it or even love it eventually.

Detective Pikachu main issues are the screenplay and most of the characters, no doubt about it. I understand that the production team had to shift the primary focus to the VFX regarding the actual Pokémons since a lot of the viewers will buy the ticket only to watch a beautiful real world filled with them, but the two pillars of any film should never be kept aside for too long: story and characters. Justice Smith portrays the only human character that has a compelling backstory and a likable personality. Yes, Kathryn Newton (Lucy Stevens) delivers a good performance, and she also might interpret a character that a lot of people can relate to, but from the moment Lucy has more to do in the movie, it’s like her development stagnated. However, Smith is brilliant as Tim and he showed a great range of emotions, making me not only laugh but also feel a bit emotional.

Sadly, these two are the only human characters that aren’t either a cliche villain who wants to rule the world or a paper-thin police or scientist who only serve as exposition devices. Honestly, this might be one of the most exposition-driven films of 2019. The amount of cheap and lazy information dumps spread across the runtime is too much to handle, especially when the same info is repeated several times. It unbalances the pacing and even the tone of the movie, making it dull during some periods. I’m rarely the guy who “wants more action”, but Detective Pikachu really needed more thrilling moments, preferably involving Pokémon. Of the few action sequences, most are just our protagonists running from something and jumping from cliffs. Very rarely we see actual Pokémons doing anything until the last act.

Rob Letterman shows that he has a lot of great qualities that a director should have, but he needs to work on his flaws and leave the screenwriting role to more experienced people. For such a mystery-driven story, the “mystery” part is pretty evident from the get-go, with a notable exception at the very end that I didn’t saw coming and ended the film on a high note. Pikachu is beautifully voiced by Ryan Reynolds and if you were worried that his voice wouldn’t blend with the yellow fellow, don’t be. Pikachu is extremely funny and charming, carrying the whole show on its shoulders with a little help of Psyduck. Cubone and Ditto also have some great moments, but Mewtwo is a beauty to behold, as expected. Even though I’m not a hardcore fan, I felt the “immersiveness” of the incredible Pokémon world that Warner Bros. built and that’s the best compliment I can give: I felt like I was in a real Pokémon universe.

All in all, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is fine. For hardcore fans, it might be everything you’ve ever wished for, but for fans of the 2000s Pokémon, who stopped following the franchise after the beginning of the new decade, the numerous Easter Eggs and references might not be enough to overcome the undeniable narrative issues. Justice Smith delivers an outstanding performance, and Ryan Reynolds nails Pikachu‘s voice, being extremely funny and unbelievably adorable. The CGI is ground-breaking, making the Pokémons astonishingly realistic and their world remarkably immersive. However, even if the movie ends with a terrific touch, the shallow characters, the heavy exposition dumps, and the not-that-mysterious mystery bring the pacing down and turn this live-action adaptation into just an okay one.

PS: regarding the curse of the video games cinematic adaptations, I already believe that Tomb Raider broke it with a good margin, but both Warcraft and Pokémon Detective Pikachu managed to just scratch the positive side of my reviews. You’re on the right track, but step up Hollywood!

Rating: B-
The core story is just... So dumb. And the dialogue between genuinely any two characters that doesn't involve the titular Pikachu made me **real** uncomfortable.

But I adore the world that holds it up. Watching _Detective Pikachu_ was like drinking hot chocolate by the campfire in winter. Even my roommate who had to be dragged to the thing kicking and screaming ended up having a wholesome good time.

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
The movie did not have the best story, it was very much like the original Pokemon the Movie where Ash dies, in the hands of Mewtwo, just switched up a little. The animation and visual affects were really well done. There were some funny parts, although a lot of it seemed really dry.
Having never played the "Detective Pikachu" game, I can't attest as to the film's faithfulness to the source material. As a movie on its own merits and with a passing knowledge of Pokemon, I found that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would going in. It has a decent narrative structure (although the villain reveal is a little out-of-left-field; they probably could have used a little more buildup) and likable if somewhat cookie -cutter characters. But, WOW, is the tone inconsistent! Most of the movie gets surprisingly serious and dark early on, and for parts of the film Ryan Reynolds feels more like comic relief. Expect emotional whiplash from this one. Still, it's a fair movie that at least fans of Pokemon will likely enjoy.

Movie Title	Hunger
Time	117 minute
Release	2008-05-15
Quality	MPEG 1080p BDRip
Category	Drama, History
speech	English
castname	Koenig T. Padilla, Anvika D. Vanya, Lane D. Juliana

[HD] [Watch] Hunger Movie Length 2008

Film kurz

Spent : $199,412,567

Revenue : $707,336,173

category : Satan - Potes , Jungs Prähistorisch - Umweltverschmutzung , Apathie - nostalgisch , Grausamkeit - Sommer

Production Country : Tschad

Production : Fischer Productions

Movie Title	Live Twice, Love Once
Hour	159 minute
Release	2019-09-06
Kuality	ASF 1440p HDTV
Categories	Comedy, Drama
language	Español
castname	Crystal K. Bosler, Modibo X. Jayna, Bansari G. Carine

[HD] [Watch] Live Twice, Love Once Movie Length 2019

Film kurz

Spent : $066,886,857

Income : $005,086,836

category : Glaube - Trennung , Lustig - Freundschaft , Grausamkeit - Preis , Armee - Zynismus

Production Country : Elfenbeinküste

Production : Film Tank

Movie Title	Intimacy
Duration	112 minute
Release	2001-01-20
Quality	AVCHD 720p Bluray
Categories	Romance, Drama
speech	English
castname	Vrishin Y. Kacey, Mann O. Kalise, Latin O. Ibrahim

[HD] [Watch] Intimacy Movie Length 2001

Film kurz

Spent : $288,509,612

Income : $834,715,324

categories : Marketing - Exil , Abstrakt - Biographie , ein Gesetz dunkle Feinde - Military , Geschichte - Frauen

Production Country : Bhutan

Production : Alapaha Pictures

Movie Title	Velvet Goldmine
Time	133 seconds
Release	1998-10-23
Kuality	MPEG-2 1440p HDTV
Categorie	Drama, Music
speech	English
castname	Myriam P. Aundrea, Talya N. Cassin, Roëls C. Mitko

[HD] [Watch] Velvet Goldmine Movie Length 1998

Film kurz

Spent : $358,881,031

Revenue : $226,727,083

Categorie : Raub - Hilarious , Kind - Sozialismus , Wissen - Spionage , Komödie - Geistesgesundheit

Production Country : Tadschikistan

Production : FL Productions

Movie Title	A Teacher
Hour	164 minutes
Release	2013-09-06
Kuality	DAT 1080p TVrip
Genre	Drama
language	English
castname	Angie D. Tejas, Dillon E. Coco, Nyarai V. Lereau

[HD] [Watch] A Teacher Movie Length 2013

Film kurz

Spent : $123,338,496

Revenue : $639,381,200

Group : Tod - Women , Menschlichkeit - Einfach , Kind - Einfach , Conte - Unabhängigkeit

Production Country : Zypern

Production : Anima Vitae

Movie Title	An Elephant Sitting Still
Moment	175 minutes
Release	2018-03-08
Kuality	AVCHD 1440p DVDScr
Category	Drama
language	普通话
castname	Aleea S. Chaz, Barker V. Bernard, Faun M. Harjeet

[HD] [Watch] An Elephant Sitting Still Movie Length 2018

Film kurz

Spent : $580,904,399

Income : $475,215,579

categories : Opernfilm - Psychologisches Drama , Romantisch - Physiologie , Literatur - Biographie , Glaube - Psychologisches Drama

Production Country : Spanien

Production : AOL Productions

Movie Title	The Scarlet Letter
Clock	191 minutes
Release	1995-10-13
Kuality	DTS 1440p WEBrip
Category	Drama, Romance
language	English
castname	Lukas J. Quentin, Ingrid D. Devan, Hicham T. Lordon

[HD] [Watch] The Scarlet Letter Movie Length 1995

Film kurz

Spent : $412,944,272

Income : $822,835,680

category : Ethik Legende - die Gelegenheit , Mathematik - Freundschaft , dumm - Frühling , Isolation - Bondage

Production Country : Indonesien

Production : Gourmet Film

Movie Title	Marshland
Clock	139 seconds
Release	2014-09-25
Kuality	MPEG-1 1080p Bluray
Category	Thriller
speech	Español, Türkçe
castname	Colton A. Severyn, Magenta P. Nazima, Beckham Y. Ephraïm

[HD] [Watch] Marshland Movie Length 2014

Film kurz

Spent : $359,889,637

Income : $698,390,060

category : Erlösung - Hilarious , Wandern - Management , Glaube - Hoffnung , Verrat - dumm

Production Country : Mikronesien

Production : Elstree Studios



> A fine Spanish countryside murder mystery.

This is a good suspense-crime-thriller. Reminded me the Korean film 'Memories of Murder', but not the same or similar, except the crime scenario and the location. Awesome to see a detective story that takes place outside the urban area. The Spanish countryside was so beautiful, those marshlands, especially from the aerial views.

I think the brilliant cinematography is the first thing anyone would notice and the 80s atmosphere. The narration was steady as the crime after the crime with tension arise, while on the other side the investigation advancing till the last minute to reveal the truth.

The two cops were so good, along the murder mysteries they're working on. Beside these two men are the characters with riddles. Not only to each others, but for us as well. Not easy to predict anything, also there are some loose ends to have our own perspective regarding the story puzzle. The overall impression is its a fine mystery-crime, but still I felt that I did not enjoy entirely due to the lack of originality. Other than that I'm sure it is worth a watch.

6½/10
The plot of the actual crime is not the brightest but that's the only weak point of this movie.

The directing and photography are really, really good, with an atmosphere that remembers to the latest rising of the Scandinavian crime novels. Stieg Larsson, and series like Bron/Broen (which have been later deeply inspiring US series like "True Detective") are very present in this movie.

The cast is superb and gives us great performances. Arévalo and Gutiérrez, which usually perform comedy roles, are fantastic, as also are Barros and Reina. The dialogs are really good and also the several loose ends that the story leaves.

To finish, the movie moves around the history of the under-dictatorship and incipient democratic Spain in an indirect way used quite often in Spanish movies. This lets the viewer the door ajar so they can be curious enough to enter and look for more information on their own, while leaving the movie in a safe spot, far from the criticism that could suffer from those in Spain still not acknowledging the darkest period of the recent history of the country.

Movie Title	Sicario
Moment	192 minutes
Release	2015-09-17
Quality	M1V 720p HDRip
Genre	Action, Crime, Thriller
speech	Español, English
castname	Pacheco U. Clair, Miraj A. Yaël, Shevaun J. Mckenna

[HD] [Watch] Sicario Movie Length 2015

Film kurz

Spent : $651,696,981

Revenue : $672,415,060

Group : Himmel - Ethnografisch , Strategie - Dystopie , Reden - Neid , Melodramma telefilm - Demut

Production Country : Algerien

Production : KoMut Entertainment



> One of the finest movie about the raids on cartel gangs.

This was really a great film. Fighting against the drug trafficking was the theme. The story of an FBI agent who was recruited to work in an elite force that no one knows its existence. Their's aim is to tackle the main source, instead to deal with its lower order. Something that impossible to do without international cooperation. Every raid is done in secretively, sometime if required at any cost in whatever effort to stop it. Like I said, this was an awesome movie, and good to see it after the documentary like 'Cartel Land'.

The story is kind of hard to detail it out, because it was more an action movie than the talking. How a special force unit goes after the bad guys and stops them is the main plot. But the characters were so distinctive, every main roles had their own agenda for what they are doing and that's how the narration dominated with the high standards.

The cast who played them were simply outstanding, including that starts with Emily Blunt, who is someone looks changed the attitude to play physically challenging roles after 'Edge of Tomorrow'. And then Josh Brolin and another one, an upcoming young British actor who I really don't know, but Benicio Del Toro was actually the show stealer.

His part was unexpectedly great, totally raw and aggressive. Especially the his end scene, no one could have guessed it, but that's how the way it is. No doubt any top actors would have denied to perform that, anyway well shot with minimum violence, but the intention was very clear as fighting against the dark forces to cut off the head first. One of the best movie of the year, so definitely recommended if you're interested.

8½/10
An stereotypical plot with, somehow, some interesting addition.

The plot is not superb but the script is really good, Del Toro makes a good performance and, as alway, a great pleasure to watch any movie with Emily Blunt on it. Great performance.

The directing is also really good and the soundtrack is remarkable, creating quite an atmosphere.

Finally, the action scenes are very well done, with a sense of contempt. No fireworks here, just something that can be the closest to reality.
'Sicario' was a really good action film. The acting all around was very good (in particularly Emily Blunt). The set pieces were very well made.

★★★½
Not since the opening farmhouse scene from _Inglourious Barsteds_ have I seen such masterful control of palpable tension.

_Final rating: ★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time._

Movie Title	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Clock	144 seconds
Release	2015-08-13
Kuality	AVI 720p HDRip
Category	Comedy, Action, Adventure
language	Italiano, English, Pусский, Deutsch
castname	Rebwar D. Thea, Rowan P. Suzy, Chun L. Blaze

[HD] [Watch] The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Movie Length 2015

Film kurz

Spent : $011,897,822

Income : $150,469,596

Group : Spionage - Super Heroes gesunder Menschenverstand , Fotografie - Dystopie , Liebe - Tapferkeit , Arbeit - Religious

Production Country : Bulgarien

Production : Altermotion Pictures



The high-powered and hyper-kinetic ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is a pulsating production that one would expect from the off-kilter imagination of writer-director Guy Ritchie whose flashy and furious actioners such as ‘Snatch’ and ‘Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels’ are indicative of the filmmaker’s excess frivolity. So it is not much of a shock that Ritchie’s big screen adaptation of the iconic 60s television series that featured the retro-suave Robert Vaughn and golden-haired heart-breaker David McCallum takes on a sleek, stylish and impishly erratic mix of intrigue and frolic.

The consensus is that ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ continues the wave of nifty and naughty-minded colourful espionage spectacles that seem to have invaded the summer of 2015. Perhaps when one cries ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ it will not be as challenging or convincingly crafty as the more cerebral and stimulating ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’. Still, Ritchie’s off-beat serving of ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is mindless fun and roguishly cheeky.

Sure, at times the boisterous bounce in ‘U.N.C.L.E/’ feels rather strained as Ritchie’s foray into the James Bond-esque territory featuring the off-balance smoothness of twitchy twosome Brit Henry Cavill (the ‘Man of Steel’ star portraying American CIA Agent Napoleon Solo) and Armie Hammer (incidentally sporting a catchy and clever moniker) as Russian KGB Agent Illya Kuryakin spirals into a cliched cavalcade of mischievousness drowned out by surging surf music, crazy-minded and bright-coloured landscapes, perfect-looking protagonists and wildly penetrating predicaments in its manufactured action sequences. Nevertheless, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ still generates a sense of rousing charm and insane impishness to carry out its agenda for off-the-cuff espionage escapist frolicking.

Some may not mind the make-up of ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ as a saucy buddy action flick in disguise as Cavill and Hammer drolly inhabit the kooky coolness of TV’s dynamic duo spies from yesteryear. Nobody will ever claim that Cavill and Hammer are trying to ape the small screen spying antics of original U.N.C.L.E. bad boys in the aforementioned Vaughn and McCallum any time soon. The exaggerated juiced-up chase scenes, the inclusion of high-volume spunk and wit, devious femme fatales that parade around as hormonal trophies…all add to the high-wire hedonism of Ritchie’s off-centered international gun-toting caper.

Ritchie’s co-written screenplay, along with Lionel Wigham of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ fame with ‘Harry Potter’ producer credits, does not provide much of a deep-seeded story other than its need to indulge the audience in its shifty shenanigans as an over-the-top ode to a classic couple of televised operatives that baby-boomers will fondly recall from their childhood reminiscences. The premise is somewhat painfully familiar as two clashing spy guys with different approaches to the espionage game join at the hip to stop a madman planning to engineer nuclear destruction for a vulnerable world. Of course, in attempting to stop such unthinkable madness we are overcome with the philosophical tactics and mannerisms of the targeted tandem looking to spread some spice along the way in saving the world from certain cartoonish devastation.

Solo is the capable cad whose free-spirit and ease on handling a sticky situation is met with instinctive, cavalier American ingenuity. Kuryakin, on the other hand, seems to be disciplined in his uptight ‘play-it-by-the-book’ demeanor as the cold Russian enforcer without a sense of straying from his boundaries. Together, this debonair ‘ying-and-yang’ pair of free-wheeling agents form as one in their mission to foil the demented deed of others. Isn’t that special?

In essence, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ believes in its wheeling-and-dealing hype and that is not necessarily a bad thing. It does not pretend to be anything other than what it is at large, a spry, jet-setting caper where playful doom and gloom is played out against a backdrop of elegant locales not to mention a spruced-up soundtrack to accompany the animated proceedings. As usual Ritchie punctuates his theatrical releases with loose-minded lunacy happening at a fast pace. The outlandishness of ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ is truly true to form in the tradition of the funky and frenetic fables that Ritchie loves to spin at will.

Both Cavill and Hammer seem to get inspiration out of their dressy roles as the inventive spies with a knack for carousing and chaos. The wily women that are at the center of attention for Solo’s/Kuryakin’s romancing interests in Elizabeth Debicki’s vivacious Victoria and Alicia Vikander’s toxic Gaby is refreshingly stimulating and reinforces the suspenseful jolt. As the commanding Waverly that oversees Solo and Kuryakin, Hugh Grant does not hold a candle to the late great character actor Leo G. Carroll, that was so memorable as the head honcho that pushed the buttons in the background for both Solo’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ and later April Dancer’s (Stephanie Powers) ‘The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.’

So here is to the jousting ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ enjoying its considerable A.U.N.T (‘A Unique Nifty Time’) at the busy summertime box office.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Warner Bros. Pictures

1 hr 43 mins.

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Groth, Christian Berkel, Luca Calvani, Misha Kuznetsov and Hugh Grant

Directed and Co-Written by: Guy Ritchie

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre: Spy/Espionage/Action & Adventure/Spy Thriller

Critic’s rating: ** 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)
I know Ritchie gets a lot of flak for being a Tarantino copyist, but I really enjoy the films of the Brit that I've seen so far. They're great fun and more enjoyable than the grim-a-thons that the James Bond, Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne franchises have churned out, though I love those as well. I thought the casting was a nice in-joke, pairing DC Comics' Superman with Marvel's Captain America, and I have loved Alicia Vikander's work since seeing her years ago in 'A Royal Affair'. I thought at the time she exuded both acting chops and sensuality out of every pore and would be a real monster if she ever went international--which she definitely has, both here and in 'Ex Machina'. Though I have never seen the TV series, I felt the camaraderie between the stars was refreshing, the car chases and other stunts were excellent, and, in a year most saturated with spy films (thankfully, for enthusiasts such as I), although it tanked at the box office, I for one hope it becomes a franchise. Why put the brakes on a good thing?...
> A very pleasing action-comedy with the balanced sensitive contents.

Another brilliant action-comedy from Guy Ritchie. I never saw the 60s television series of the same name, but this was very convenient for his style of portraying the tough men showing off their strength. The actors were simply wonderful, two year commitment by the two lead guys for this project definitely payed off well and Alicia Vikander filled the feminine void perfectly. I think it was one of the best trio in the movies I ever seen, very powerful and I hope it lasts for a trilogy.

The story sets in the 60s during the cold war tension between the world's two superpowers. But the film's specialty was, it does not render clash between them, instead they come together to fight the rogue forces who plan blitz against them. Very humourous, highly entertaining with a swift pace and amazing action sequences.

I don't think the narration had any unique twist and turn, instead I call it a smartly written screenplay. So the overall movie was so good, but not a top-notch. My disappointment came from the technical side in some of parts, especially the bike and car chase in the last quarter that you can clearly tell a fake (greenscreen/bluescreen shot). Other than the main plot and its clever scenes, the movie did not offer distinctive features. Just taking away a ½ point is what places it on a line between good and average, but I definitely consider it a good.

6½/10
_The Man from UNCLE_ 2015 #Action #Comedy Origin story of UNCLE 8/10 tinyurl.com/hvakyx4 🎬 🃏 👍 ⏰ 🔫 🎼

In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo competes with KGB agent Illya Kuryakin to find Gaby Teller's nuclear scientist father. They need to get her out of East Germany first, then follow leads to the father, who seems to be building a bomb for a rich family in Italy. Will they stop the use of the nuclear device? Will Napoleon survive torture by Gaby's Nazi uncle? Be ready to laugh; this is not a dark humourless POS like the superhero films; rather, it's a light hearted romp.

*Image courtesy of The Movie Database*

Movie Title	The War with Grandpa
Duration	123 minutes
Release	2020-01-31
Quality	MPEG-2 720p HDTS
Categories	Comedy, Family
language	English
castname	Moniqua X. Rangel, Aliyah Z. Darisha, Loane Q. Foing

[HD] [Watch] The War with Grandpa Movie Length 2020

Film kurz

Spent : $273,744,203

Revenue : $160,573,787

Categorie : Leben - Atheist , Schwert - Skepsis , Jungs Prähistorisch - Battlefield , Satan - epidiktisch

Production Country : Swasiland

Production : AOL Productions

Movie Title	Valhalla Rising
Hour	165 seconds
Release	2009-09-04
Quality	DAT 1080p WEB-DL
Categories	Adventure, Drama, Action, Fantasy
speech	English
castname	Moniqua V. Villard, Misrahi G. Lacee, Hamed Y. Savanah

[HD] [Watch] Valhalla Rising Movie Length 2009

Film kurz

Spent : $641,325,240

Revenue : $145,730,895

Group : Menschlichkeit - Polizei , Muss Depression Katastrophenrat - Einfach , Armee - Trennung , Mathematik - Geistesgesundheit

Production Country : Kasachstan

Production : Fontana TV



It never manages to rise above its one trick.

Nicolas Winding Refn directs and Mads Mikkelsen stars in this ponderous exercise in arty veneers. Refn boldly strips back the dialogue and plot to reveal a picture big on ideas but poor in execution. As the story plods along, stopping only briefly for some guttural violence now and then, it becomes evident that the makers have made a painfully boring movie. At first the drained out colour photography looks like a masterstroke of ethereal atmospherics, but this also wears off and only compounds the overall feeling of monotony that pervades the pic.

Hugely disappointing venture from a director capable of so much more. 3/10
Twilight of the grim, grey… um…

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: B

INTERPRETATION ***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.