Arctic Review

February 8, 2019 at 4:02am
By Dylan Mackey

Arctic is a chilling tale of survival written and directed by the up and coming Joe Penna (Turning Point, Instant Getaway). Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen) is stranded in the Arctic after his plane crashes. The film takes place a while after his initial crash but we were never given an exact time line. Fortunately, Overgard has some basic survival knowledge and was able to set up a relatively successful and safe camp. Due to some unseen circumstances, he must decide if he should stay at his camp or to brave the treacherous environment hoping that he makes it out alive.

There isn’t much to Arctic. Small cast, and by small I mean two people. Our more vocal of the two is Mads Mikkelsen and his very silent for lack of a better word co-star Maria Thelma Smaradottir, whose role is so minor she doesn’t even have a name in this. However, their chemistry is undeniable as Mikkelsen plays the role of protector and provider very well, like most of his other roles. Mikkelsen does great showing how selfless he is risking his own life for the other. Not too much to the scenery either. Just all white and snowy, but this does change the most. Sunny and bright, windy and snowy, flatland and mountain ranges. I’ve always liked Mads Mikkelsen he always does an excellent job and always has passion for what he does.

The film did was excellent in showing the things people will do to survive, and keep going. It also does well showing not only the obvious hazards (cold, frostbite, polar bears) but also the not so obvious ones (Lack of food, actual drinkable water). Arctic does well showing how to overcome these very issues. Definitely worth a watch to learn some survival skills if you’re going anywhere near the Arctic. I personally disagree with the opinions of others on this one. The film is good but not great, it’s kind of predictable and very slow in pace. The most exciting part of film lasted three minutes, if that. It then slows back down and grinds out for the rest of the film.

The Conclusion

Arctic doesn’t have too much to it, but is an alright watch. Lacking in most things but talent from Mikkelsen, and the breathtaking views although they’re few and far between. The idea of the film is good; I always like the lone survivor type films. For being a low budget film it was shot very well and didn’t make any noticeable mistakes.

Arctic Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening Provided by Elevation Pictures

Rating Overall: 5.5