Ragnarok (2013)

the audience applauded

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The first must-see film of the year.

Good special effects and visual effects.fine acting. Boring predictable plot with a central flaw. A nest of monsters are supposed to have survived hundreds of years in what is the now Russia/Norway border. However it is clear there were military bases all around the lake and on the island they live in and on.

This Scandinavian production fails to live up to its expectation. All the actors do commendable jobs and the cinematography is good, but it falls much short in providing the viewers with ample horror scenes and monster action that a scary monster movie is supposed to. With all that being said, the movie does have something to offer in terms of some tensed moments and the way in which it connects certain stories of Norse mythology with reality. The plot revolves around an archaeologist, his family and his co- worker. They go for a trip/adventure that becomes their nightmare as they encounter a giant monster with maternal instincts. However, the monster action in the movie is literally limited to few moments and the viewers don't even get a full view of the creature even once. The movie has some hint of resemblance with "Jurrasic Park" except for the fact that it is not even close to it in terms of the thrill or screenplay. It does manage to keep the audience fairly entertained but for a few dry patches. As an ardent fan of monster movies, I would say that it was kind of a letdown.

I enjoyed the film. It was solid. It is one of those films where you don't see the full monster until the end but it in this case it did not bother me. The build up and the characterization was good. The prop work with the stones and runes were impressive. I think my only criticism would be the fact that the main character did not continue to document things when the adventure began ( at least a disposable camera would have been fine). He seemed to keep adequate journals and notes before the journey. The special effects were good. They did a good job in the "Bunker" scene when the serpent slithers out of the dark corridor. It really did look creepy. Good job with the adapting this Norse creature into a story!

There are certain things this Scandinavian production has going for it: the actors all do commendable jobs with what they are given; the wild scenery is beautiful; and there a few moments (not many, but a few) of very well orchestrated suspense. But none of that matters because "Ragnarok" simply isn't what its trailer leads one to believe it is, namely a scary monster movie. There is a monster, or at least a big creature which may have inspired certain stories from Norse mythology, but the monster action is decidedly limited and while there occasional moments of tension there are no real scares. I don't think the filmmakers had any real desire to make a scary picture, but rather an adventure story with a few ideas borrowed from American monster movies. The result is incredibly dry, boring, and unsatisfying, particularly the climax. If you're hoping for the kind of explosive grand finale "Jaws" gave us, forget it. Suffice it to say the creature from "Ragnarok" is only dangerous because our human explorers provoke its maternal instincts. As a longtime fan of both monster movies and Viking mythology, I really expected to like "Ragnarok." More's the pity.