Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Arctic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 7, 2019

Few categories of film speak to the human spirit and human condition more than the Survival genre, and few films accomplish a more intimate journey through the outward trials and inner turmoils than Director Joe Penna's feature debut Arctic. It is a film of both environmental scale and scope and one man's struggle to survive unthinkably harsh and bleak conditions in the isolated, desolate, and detached-from-the-world Arctic. Penna, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ryan Morrison, crafts a compelling tale that balances hope and horror, fight and frigid conditions in a film that's sole focus is on the outward struggle, the inner fears, and the fatigue that wears the man down inside and out. It's a classic man-versus-nature tale but also a capable inward reflection of man at his best, even when all but inescapably trapped in the world's worst.

Arctic begins in medias res, revealing a character named Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) who the audience knows little about and will know little about for the duration. He's the only survivor of a plane crash. How long he has been on the ground and forced into survival mode is unknown. Why he was in the Arctic is not known. He has been there long enough to establish a routine, waking up to catch fish, which he eats raw; to scrawl a large "SOS" sign in the snow; to use a hand-crank radio in hopes of signaling help. His only aids are a warm jacket, gloves, a sleeping bag, a few crude and makeshift tools, and the plane's mangled hull which he uses for shelter. One day, a helicopter appears in the sky. He frantically signals it down with a flare, but wind shears cause the chopper to crash. He pulls out the lone survivor, a young woman (María Thelma) who is barely alive. He mends her wounds as best he can and resultantly finds his difficulties doubled and his chances of rescue dwindling with every day that draws death closer for the two of them.

There's not much to the movie, at least in terms of location changes, visual shake-ups, narrative twists, or character detailing. It's essentially the story of a man who is capable of looking after himself in frigid conditions but who was obviously not prepared to do so or professionally trained in the skills necessary to survive long term. Despite the conditions, he remains clear-headed, putting plans into place and into motion as best he can, using what he has at his disposal to prolong his chances of survival and rescue. In his new, bleak, barren, and blistering cold environment, he finds the courage to continue and the skills to survive. Arctic is not concerned with back story. It is concerned with hope, human spirit, that inner fight that refuses to allow the body to surrender until the body can take no more. Mads Mikkelsen is terrific as the mystery man, revealing a depth of character that exists well beyond the physical representation presented to the audience. Mikkelsen not only believably fights through the external struggles that wear his body down, he also emotes an incredible range throughout his inward response to the situation-at-large and his various responses to new events as they further complicate or endanger his battle to survive. It's brilliant work both physically and inwardly and few could argue that it is not the most complete performance of his career.

Joe Penna and Cinematographer Tómas Örn Tómasson shoot the film with tight scenes and character portraits that reveal the depth and breadth of Mikkelsen's performance and showcase the physical toll on his body as well the mental condition in which he exists. Contrarily, they film the Arctic expanse at wide angle, presenting an image of the environment's scope, scale, emptiness, and hopelessness. Every shot builds or reinforces the story. There's not a wasted moment in the movie, and clocking in at around 90 minutes before credits it's is the perfect length for Mikkelsen to build the character and Penna to build the story and frame it within the expansive world around him that practically feels like it's enclosing in on him until it suffocates his soul and squeezes the life out of him.

Arctic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's 1080p Blu-ray release of Arctic capably delivers the film's bleak locations quite nicely. There's never a sense of grand, intimate detail in the vast wide shots that dot the movie, which are comprised of blank white snowscapes and gray, sunless skies. Up close, packed and freshly fallen snow alike offer more revealing textures. Skin textures are well defined in close-up, revealing wounds, pores, wrinkles, and other qualities with impressive depth and clarity. Mikkelsen's scruffy beard is one of the textural standouts. The wrecked airplane and helicopter are the primary non-human, unnatural objets in the film, and basic metallic parts, broken items, and the like are appropriately sharp and clear. Colors are deliberately muted. Mikkelsen's red jacket is the most prominent color standout, not popping for sure but serving as a necessary counterpoint to the bleakness. The caked-on dirt and wear drain it of life and give it a well-worn color quality. Red blood, flares, and a few material odds and ends represent the only other colors of note in the film, none of which are exceptionally vibrant but that do fit into the tone quite well. Skin tones follow suit. Black levels appear slightly raised in the darkest scenes, notably right at the one-hour mark. No significant source or encode flaws are apparent.

Arctic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Arctic's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack envelops the listener in the Arctic's inhospitable and frigidly cold winds. Each gust pushes through with punishing cold and at an appropriate depth to support a realistic weight and force. Wind is the most prominent and consistent sound in the film. Helicopters offers a decent sense of weight and thrust as the rotors spin, particularly nearby but the sound is effective at distance as well. Crunching snow underfoot, scraping it with a makeshift tool, and other sounds of basic survival are conveyed naturally and clearly. A polar bear growls with impressive depth at one critical point in the film. Music is detailed and spreads wide across the front. Surrounds are folded in as part of a complimentary support. The film is light on dialogue, but the occasional word or sentence is clearly delivered, well prioritized, and planted in the center channel speaker.

Arctic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arctic contains deleted scenes and two featurettes. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:58 total runtime): Included are Fishing Lures, Mayday, False Alarm, Forgotten, and Stay Warm.
• The Story Behind Arctic (1080p, 1:52): Director Joe Penna quickly, but thoroughly, discusses the story and its details. He also covers the making of the polar bear scene and the techniques and lenses used to shoot the film.
• Mads Mikkelsen Featurette (1080p, 1:31): Joe Penna discusses Mikkelsen's performance and the actor himself talks about the character he portrays.

Arctic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arctic thrives on Mikkelsen's performance but also impressive is Penna's craftsmanship. The director drops the audience into the story, revealing precious little detail. Penna further does little to expand the story from start to finish, maintaining a focus on survival, isolation, cold, hunger, fear, and fatigue. It's a terrific film. Universal's Blu-ray delivers high quality video and audio presentations. The supplements are fine but few. Highly recommended.