No man, woman, or child may defy the gods. When Thor and Loke seek refuge in the home of mortals, the youngest son fails to heed a warning from the gods. As atonement for the family’s sins, the gods take the two youngest children under their wing and embark on an epic adventure from Midgard to Valhalla that will see them stare down ruthless giants, barbaric gods, and the dreaded wolf Fenrir.
“Valhalla” opens with a nicely illustrated animation scene depicting the origins of Odin in his son Thor. A narrator regales that in Asgard, the father and son cemented their omnipotent powers by ruling over the grand halls of Valhalla and the Vikings that reside in the mortal realm of Midgard. Soon their reign is tested when “a thousand-year-long war with the giants pushes Valhalla into darkness. A darkness that might end in..Ragnarok.”
Røskva (Cecelia Loffredo) and Tjalfe (Saxo Moltke-Leth) are young peasants living with their parents in Midgard. Roskva is introduced piling up a set of smooth rocks, forming them into an altar. She begins praying to be changed into one of Odin’s ravens, so she can “fly far far away from here.” The cinematography in Midgard is captured with a wide lens, at times the frames contain blurry edges, creating a dream-like texture. Later that night, a thunderstorm forms over their humble home, and after a spider web of lightning strikes the sky, two large men land on the ground. One of the mysterious men approaches the terrified family and says they have been chosen to house a couple of gods from Valhalla for the night. The second man, holding a large hammer, begins ordering Tjalfe to grab firewood and Røskva brings in his goat. He slaughters the goat and feeds the family but instructs them to not break any bones because the next day, the goat will be revived. Obviously the hammer-wielding God is none other than Thor (Roland Møller), and in a great casting choice, the mischievous Loke (Dulfi Al-Jabouri) is played by a person of color. Møller is naturally an intimidating presence with his build, gruff voice, and a weathered face, thus he’s much more believable than Chris Hemsworth. Al-Jabouri plays Loke with a seductive, devilish charm and when he’s smoking a large pipe you can see his mind plotting. While eating the goat, Loke encourages Tjalfe to disobey Thor’s command by asking, “who’s going to miss one bone?” After cracking open the tiny piece, Tjalfe sucks down the bone marrow, and the next morning the goat is alive but limping in pain. Thor is outraged and after Tjalfe confesses, the boy is taken prisoner and forced to push a cart to Valhalla. His punishment is to be a servant in the hall of the gods.
On the picturesque journey to Valhalla, while crossing the fabled rainbow bridge, Røskva is discovered as a stowaway in their cart. Now both brother and sister will be servants and more importantly witnesses to the council of the gods’ politics and intrigue. The council is a large set with huge torches and several thrones but the largest one is reserved for the one-eyed Odin. During the meeting, the gods bicker about how to deal with the ongoing battle with the giants, and, even worse, Fenrir, the gargantuan wolf has escaped Tyr’s chains and is on the loose. Due to his size and power, Fenrir is capable of swallowing the sun which would most certainly envelop the gods and mortals’ worlds in darkness for eternity. The Goddess Freya (Silja Eriksen Jensen) tells a story about the Child of Light, a mortal born in Midgard, but destined to save Valhalla and the other realms.
I really enjoyed this Danish production for being grounded and looking magnificent for a film well below Marvel’s usual $150 Million bloated budgets. While I quite enjoyed Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” there are times, amid all those Disney-approved jokes and color-schemes, lacking a heart and soul. In “Valhalla,” aside from Fenrir and some moments of mystical spectacle, there’s a refreshing lack of CGI. Filming took place on location in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland which always tops a green screen backdrop. In another clever move, the screenwriters balance the tone and the script contains a fair amount of humor. In one of my favorite scenes, Thor is challenged by a rival giant to engage in a drinking and arm-wrestling contest. For the drinking contest, a horn is carried out by three men and the mead pours out like a geyser. I’m convinced that Møller should act in more comedies. The action is solid and bloodless for the most part and I was impressed with director Fenar Ahmad’s vision, and ultimately I hope this film reaches more mortals in our world.
Available on DVD & Digital HD June 29th
