Valhalla. The hall ruled by Odin in Norse mythology where half of all those slain in battle go. It has little if anything to do with Valhalla Rising.
In Valhalla Rising the lead character is a silent (possibly mute) one eyed warrior being held prisoner by Scottish pagans. He, later named One-Eye, is constantly bound and chained by the neck. The Scotts pit him against other men in a sort of gladiator, to the death, style combat. From the conversations between the Scotts it sounds as if One-Eye has been prisoner for at least 15 years. One-Eye appears to have stylized visions of the future.
After escaping, he kills all his captors except for the young boy who feeds him and binds his hands between fights. One-Eye and Are, the boy, meet up with a group of Christians preparing to leave Scotland and make for the Holy Land as part of the crusades. One of his visions seems to lead him to join them for unknown reasons.
When their ship encounters a seemingly never ending bank of mist, and the winds and tides still, they men are trapped on their boat and run out of rations. One man takes to drinking seawater and dies. Just as the others are about to die as well, they find themselves floating down (yes down) a freshwater river. They land promptly claim the land in the name of Jesus Christ and quickly begin to be killed one-by-one by primitive natives.
The solution to this is obviously to drink a hallucinogenic draft. After they finish praying, stacking rocks, and raping one another, the group splits on what to do. Stay where they landed, or cross the forest in hopes of finding the sea. One-Eye, still mute, somehow communicates through Are. It is unclear if One-Eye or Are is a prophet, or just making it up as he goes. In the end, everyone is dead and nothing is resolved.
Rarely, if ever, have I seen a movie with less point. The director, Nicolas Refn, seems to be trying very hard to make the film surreal. All he ends up doing is making the film confusing and directionless. The pace of the movie is odd, the musical score is horrible, and the acting is about as expressive as One-Eye’s dialogue. You know the acting is top notch when the main character does not speak a word, and has only one expression the whole movie. V’s Guy Fox mask in the movie V had a broader range of emotions than One-Eye shows. The only redeeming thing the movie has going for it is that much of the cinematography is beautiful and unique.
I am so glad the movie was only 90 minutes long. Watching Valhalla Rising was like waiting at a train station only to find out that the station has been closed for years. I give it a 3 / 10.
In Valhalla Rising the lead character is a silent (possibly mute) one eyed warrior being held prisoner by Scottish pagans. He, later named One-Eye, is constantly bound and chained by the neck. The Scotts pit him against other men in a sort of gladiator, to the death, style combat. From the conversations between the Scotts it sounds as if One-Eye has been prisoner for at least 15 years. One-Eye appears to have stylized visions of the future.
After escaping, he kills all his captors except for the young boy who feeds him and binds his hands between fights. One-Eye and Are, the boy, meet up with a group of Christians preparing to leave Scotland and make for the Holy Land as part of the crusades. One of his visions seems to lead him to join them for unknown reasons.
When their ship encounters a seemingly never ending bank of mist, and the winds and tides still, they men are trapped on their boat and run out of rations. One man takes to drinking seawater and dies. Just as the others are about to die as well, they find themselves floating down (yes down) a freshwater river. They land promptly claim the land in the name of Jesus Christ and quickly begin to be killed one-by-one by primitive natives.
The solution to this is obviously to drink a hallucinogenic draft. After they finish praying, stacking rocks, and raping one another, the group splits on what to do. Stay where they landed, or cross the forest in hopes of finding the sea. One-Eye, still mute, somehow communicates through Are. It is unclear if One-Eye or Are is a prophet, or just making it up as he goes. In the end, everyone is dead and nothing is resolved.
Rarely, if ever, have I seen a movie with less point. The director, Nicolas Refn, seems to be trying very hard to make the film surreal. All he ends up doing is making the film confusing and directionless. The pace of the movie is odd, the musical score is horrible, and the acting is about as expressive as One-Eye’s dialogue. You know the acting is top notch when the main character does not speak a word, and has only one expression the whole movie. V’s Guy Fox mask in the movie V had a broader range of emotions than One-Eye shows. The only redeeming thing the movie has going for it is that much of the cinematography is beautiful and unique.
I am so glad the movie was only 90 minutes long. Watching Valhalla Rising was like waiting at a train station only to find out that the station has been closed for years. I give it a 3 / 10.
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