Directed by:
Joe PennaCinematography:
Tómas Örn TómassonComposer:
Joseph TrapaneseVOD (1)
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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)
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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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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One hundred percent immersive spectacle. I believed everything Mads Mikkelsen did, and that was the basis of its success. I liked that we don't know anything more about his character than that he's a smart guy, we're thrown into the plot at the beginning and gradually get to know what the creators want us to know. For example, that a man can remain a man even in the worst conditions. Or should.
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Or when the label "minimalist, non-literal, cold, detached procedural" for a survival genre film is taken literally. Like really literally. And that’s a good thing. Speechless, blinkered, detached, pragmatic and bereft of hope and the will to live, Mikkelsen pulls it off reliably together with the impressively chilling atmosphere of endless snowdrifts, despite the somewhat stilted pacing and setbacks during all that tedious step-breathe-step trudging.
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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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Gallery (35)
Photo © Stefano Baroni / The Joker Films
![Arctic - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/165/071/165071486_f8aa6d.jpg)
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