Arctic

After a slow start, Arctic takes on a more dramatic character due to the hopelessness of the situation depicted, without resorting to thriller clichés, while retaining the parameters of a minimalist, believable survival drama worthy of the participation of my current favorite European actor. But don’t expect anything revolutionary, such as Boyle’s 127 Hours. [Cannes] (12/05/2018)

Arctic is pure Mads Mikkelsen brilliance—raw and intense from the very first minute. The stunning shots of endless, snow-covered Icelandic landscapes and the grueling conditions that must've come with filming make it clear that Mads is an absolute beast. This is a survival film that stands out; 97 minutes of gripping tension with almost zero dialogue, just pure willpower and endurance. You don't come across a survival story like this every day. (15/02/2021)

Europe's best actor Mads Mikkelsen fights for his life in the cold Antarctic in this new adventure survival drama. Fans of survival dramas will surely enjoy this one, but the film is too minimalistic for my taste, and there are no surprises or interesting scenes. Mads barely speaks, so the only thing to praise is his skill and creativity to survive. It's believably shot and everything makes sense, but the film lacks drive and tension, unfortunately. There is indeed a polar bear, but compared to The Revenant, it's not even worth mentioning. For fans of Mads, nature and survival films a must see, the rest can ignore it as they won't miss much. 60% (16/04/2019)

Or when the label "minimalist, non-literal, cold, detached procedural" for a survival genre film is taken literally. Like really literally. And that’s a good thing. Speechless, blinkered, detached, pragmatic and bereft of hope and the will to live, Mikkelsen pulls it off reliably together with the impressively chilling atmosphere of endless snowdrifts, despite the somewhat stilted pacing and setbacks during all that tedious step-breathe-step trudging. (16/05/2021)

What I missed there is directorial skill to tame on camera the element of nature, which abounds in Kormakur’s Everest, for example. Arctic is smaller, sparser, more restrained in its production design and considerably poorer in casting. It's not a grand story, but the journey of one man who makes key decisions to survive under extreme conditions. A survival story is always going to be relatively cool and evocative, as the mental strains in an individual's basic survival instincts are a compelling and eternal theme, but Arctic could have perhaps played out a little better with a slightly more colorful story. In short, I can't shake the impression that they could have got more out of Antarctica. Mikkelsen is, of course, great. (23/04/2019)