A man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive.
Before getting the screening for this film, I had no prior knowledge of “Arctic”. I looked at a trailer and it being selected to Cannes and having the presence of Mads Mikkelsen showed some promise for the film. I am very pleased to say “Arctic” really surprised me and is the first good movie of the year.
Mads Mikkelsen plays Overgård, who crash lands in the Arctic and has to find a way to survive with limited resources and is in the care of a woman who crashes trying to save him. Mikkelsen does an amazing job in his performance especially because there is limited dialogue in the film. The way he is feeling is seen on his face the majority of the time and keeps you empathetic with the character and all his misfortunes. The story is very well paced. Writers Joe Penna (who also directed the film) and Ryan Morrison accomplish an amazing feat in keeping the audience engaged with very little dialogue. Never throughout the runtime will you find yourself looking at your watch. They also implement many smart scenarios that Overgård has to overcome that feel realistic. I do think there a few story moments that I wasn’t a fan of but for the most part “Arctic” tells a great story.
Director Joe Penna creates a very believable world and I genuinely felt cold in my seat in the theater. I could tell most of the film was shot on location in actual snow, cold terrain and it added that extra layer to film and didn’t make it a cheap Hollywood survival film. While there needed to be some green screen shots, most of them are well compensated for with visual effects. Only a few times did I notice it wasn’t on location. The score is also a great companion to the film. I think the technical elements of the movie are good but nothing extraordinary. There is a great scene with a polar bear that is fantastic and it felt like a real polar because it wasn’t all visual effects. Penna really does a great job as a director.
All in all, this was a great surprise to get in what is deemed as the garbage month of the year in film. Great human performance from Mads Mikkelsen and a great job from Penna as a writer/director. If you can catch this movie in the theater, I highly recommend it.
“Arctic” opens in Dallas Friday, February 15th
