Arctic, written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morison, directed by the former - 8.6 out of 10

Arctic, written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morison, directed by the former
8.6 out of 10


Arctic is a formidable film, hard to watch at times, even if it is not filled with the sophisticated gore that special effects can provide for amateurs of horror movies.

It could remind viewers of other movies where a disaster had taken place and survivors fight for their lives, such as Castaway- only there the weather was much more amenable - Man Friday, Robinson Crusoe  - with the same climate advantage- or perhaps the feature about the real tragedy of a plane that had crashed in the Andes and then the survivors have had to eat the flesh of their dead companions to make it through their ordeal.
Mads Mikkelsen is one of the greatest, imposing, fabulous actors in the world.

He renders outstanding gravitas, credibility and stature to the character of  Overgard.
This excellent film becomes a lesson not just on survival- for we now have various programs on National Geographic and other channels that teach us how to take on the jungle, deserts and other extreme provocations- but on being strong, psychologically and otherwise, resilient, brave, focused, kind...the Ultimate Ubermensch.

The Super Hero is the only one to escape a crash in the Artic.
He is a Super Man not in the cartoonish, fantastic sense we see in so many flicks nowadays.

The protagonist finds a way to perforate the ice and fish, storing some for whenever he would have other plans or there is a snow storm.
His story could serve as part of a positive psychology course...Included maybe  in the lectures of Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, who has inserted from Dead Poets Society, Pay It Forward and other formative movies in his lessons.

The grit, stamina, determination, kindness and generosity can be used in a dictionary with examples...
This is what self sacrifice is.

Overgard has to decide if he would stay in the cabin of the crashed airplane, waiting for a rescue mission, or he tries to travel to safety through the Arctic.
Both choices are plagued with gruesome perilous and the odds are dramatically against him in both cases.

The hero is forced to take one option by fate.
A helicopter crashes near him, probably trying to rescue him.

A woman whose name we will not know is severely injured.
Overgard stitches her abdominal wound and does all he can to help her.

Maybe the only slightly amusing moment takes place when he finds a can of instant soup among the debris of the fallen helicopter.
He eats the dry, uncooked pasta with immense relish.

For he had to rely on raw, if bio and fresh fish for so long, that this extremely modest, unprepared food must have tasted like the most exquisite meal offered by the best chef in the world.
Since the condition of his patient is deteriorating, the incredibly brave and strong Ubermensch takes her on a sleigh and tries to reach humanity.

It is a superhuman task!

Very soon, he has to climb a steep obstacle and it looks like he cannot get his companion over the edge.
To avoid spoiler alerts, I will just say that it is more than an uphill struggle.

Artic is a fascinating, overwhelming film, from the artist who has given audiences masterpieces like:

Jagten, A Royal Affair, After the Wedding and others, reviewed at realini.blogspot.com