6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An archeologist is convinced the Oseberg Viking ship contains the answer to the mystery of Ragnarok, the end of days in Norse mythology. Accompanied by his children, he journeys to "No Man's Land" between Norway and Russia, which holds a shocking secret.
Starring: Pål Sverre Hagen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Bjørn Sundquist, Sofia Helin, Maria Annette Tanderø BerglydForeign | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Norwegian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
According to a famous (but probably apocryphal) quote attributed to Picasso, good artists copy but great ones steal. The 2013 Norwegian film Ragnarok is a study in the virtues of cinematic theft. Its screenwriter, John Kåre Raake, and director, Mikkel Brænne Sandemose, have cheerfully plundered the works of Steven Spielberg for ideas and inspiration, but they have reinvented them anew. "Ragnarok" is the Viking name for the apocalypse, and Raake penned a story about a contemporary expedition to solve the riddle of the term's origin. Out of classic Norse mythology, he and Sandemose have constructed both an entertaining popcorn movie and a compelling family adventure. The alert viewer will notice nods to Jaws , Jurassic Park, The Lost World and several of the Indiana Jones films, but not one of these moments feels like a retread. Each of them is rooted in a specifically Norwegian story unlike anything Spielberg ever made. Sandemose has also absorbed one other crucial lesson from the founder of Amblin and Dreamworks. Spielberg's films routinely have wonderful casts who create interesting characters, and so does Ragnarok.
Specific information about the shooting format of Ragnarok was not available, but from appearance alone the film is obviously a digital production, with major effects works and significant color correction in post-production. Examples of both the effects and the color grading can be seen in "The Visual Effects" featurette listed under "Extras". The credited cinematographer is Daniel Voldheim. Magnolia Home Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, which was presumably sourced from digital files, provides a sumptuously detailed image that transitions effortlessly between the dark, torch-lit landscape of the ancient Vikings and the contemporary bright home and office where Sigurd lives and works. As his family ventures north following the map on the "rune stone", the palette shifts to accommodate the gray skies and lush greens of the wild forests, and it eventually shades back to the hues of the Viking opening, when the family descends into the caves where they find what remains of their ancestors' expedition. The blacks of the Viking night and the cave (and other) interiors are deep and solid, and the detail in both bright light and shadow is very good throughout. Except for an occasional hint of banding at scene transitions, there are no artifacts to report, even though Magnolia has departed from its usual custom of using BD-50s and providing a high average bitrate. Here, it has compressed a 96-minute film with two lossless audio tracks onto a BD-25, resulting in an average bitrate of 19.00 Mbps. Given the letterbox bars and the digital origination, the studio has gotten away with this level of compression, despite the film's many complex action scenes.
The deafening roar of the nameless creature discovered by the Vikings (and rediscovered by the Svendsen expedition) is the most memorable effect on Ragnarok's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack (in Norwegian with English subtitles), and it could easily stand comparison with the famous T. Rex roar in Jurassic Park. But the creature's presence is signaled by other sound effects, most of them at the low end of the scale. Sometimes they emanate from deep below the lake surrounding the island that forms the Eye of Odin; at other times, they have no identifiable source. The better your subwoofer, the more you will feel the creature. Just be careful when the beast finally roars, because the effect is designed to knock you sideways. Other sound effects are less stunning but still have an impact: the chaos of the Viking retreat, the modern-day voyage to the Eye of Odin on a makeshift raft, a lengthy sequence in underground caves, a dramatic escape by rope and pulley and an extended chase sequence through the "no man's land" graveyard of abandoned military facilities that ends in an old Soviet bunker. The sound designers pull out all the stops, and the sonic assault comes from all sides. The rousing adventure score was supplied by Norwegian composer Magnus Beite, who obviously grew up on the same diet of big budget Hollywood adventures that inspired director Sandemose. Note that the Blu-ray also includes a dubbed English track, also in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1, for those who do not wish to read subtitles.
In a statement released to the press during Ragnarok's brief U.S. theatrical run, Sandemose said: "The Vikings were convinced that there was a primal force in the abyss that was so powerful that it influenced their beliefs and lifestyle. In Ragnarok I wished for these primal forces to break loose and collide with the modern world right before the eyes of the audience in a spectacular way." One of the many reasons why Ragnarok has an internal coherence and integrity that Hollywood action films have largely lost is that the powerful force that both connects and threatens the characters isn't just some random excuse for an effects team to blow stuff up. It's a force that's rooted both in history and (in a fanciful, Michael Crichton style) scientific possibility. Like all the best popcorn movies, Ragnarok treats its sources seriously, even when it's being playful. Highly recommended.
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