crberme Valhalla Rising is a movie that I would describe as "weird but haunting". At the first half I was thinking that maybe it wasn't a movie that I would enjoy, but I still stayed because I was expecting the overall film to be something great, and it is.The first thing that got me was one-eye. The performance of this main character, the way he expresses without speaking or even move is something difficult to do right, and yet he does. The plot is also very implicit, and forces you to think, to suppose, to seek for a clue to really understand what's going on, and here it's really satisfying because it works so well here.Something that I don't like so much is the special effects. There are few, since this movie takes a kind of minimalistic approach when it comes to frame and movement, but the few that are there are really unrealistic, to the point of almost make you laugh. It compensates with the good things this movie has, but I have the philosophy that if you can't make it right, just don't do it. And that could've been applied here.Something that also got my attention while watching it is that this is a very quiet movie. Few conversations and few background music make this film have it's own vibe. Makes you feel the environment in a way you couldn't it the movie used more noise, a soundtrack or anything of the kind.So, Is this movie for everyone? No. Is this movie awesome? I think so. I encourage you to watch it if you're not sure, you'll probably like it.

alfjmrodrigues One of the most depressive movies I have ever seen. What a waste of time!Lack of dialogues, mostly hate and blood, no really story. What can you get to your life from a movie which is mainly suffering and sadness?Nothing really to learn here, folks.

Giallo Fanatic This is a rare movie in that it is very silent in a time where most movies are loud and noisy. Silence is honestly rare nowadays, which Winding Refn pointed out: "Silence is cinema! We are so used to sounds; we're always talked at. Silence is very rare for us for a long duration of time. It makes people very uncomfortable. But what it does, it also forces us to perceive on a much deeper level because we can no longer just be told things..Silence is like gold. It forces the audience to engage more, because they're not being told what to think." So this is an unusual experience with a movie that doesn't have much music and only has about 120 lines throughout its 93 minute play time. But it doesn't make the movie any less atmospheric and gripping, because silence can be very loud too. The silence of the movie makes the movie feel longer and sometimes heavy to watch. Depending on your imagination and analytical skills there is a lot to interpret from the movie. Director: Nicolas Winding Refn; Written by: Nicolas Winding Refn, Roy Jacobsen and Matthew Read; Year of Release: 2009; Genre: Drama; Themes: Religion, greed, war, existentialism, God and aliens. Plot: A mute warrior accompanied by a boy joins a group of men that is looking for the Land of God.Winding Refn has made a cryptic movie that is open for interpretation. Although the dialogue between the characters are scarce it leaves the audience with its core themes: God and religion. Man's quest for ideals. A great philosopher once said: "What is the impetus behind the search for God, and is that search real? For most of us, it is an escape from actuality. So, we must be very clear in ourselves whether this search after God is an escape, or whether it is a search for truth in everything -truth in our relationships, truth in the value of things, truth in ideas. If we are seeking God merely because we are tired of this world and its miseries, then it is an escape. Then we create God, and therefore it is not God. The God of the temples, of the books, is not God, obviously-it is a marvelous escape." That thought is of utter importance, since the movie's characters are hopeless characters so they try to find hope through God and the Holy Land. Also what they do is justify their atrocious actions by saying they are doing it in the name of God. Which is the reason why I included war as one of its themes. In one of the first scenes a heretic commented that Christians eat their God and the only language they understand is money, implying that Christians are driven by greed and gluttony. Further explored by the men seeking the Holy Land.Then there is the sea travel, which cryptically imply aliens had a hand in helping them go to the "Holy Land". Winding Refn commented that he wanted to have One-Eye taken away by a UFO in the end, but thought it was too obvious so he had Indians slaughter him instead. So it also gives the implication God may be an alien. So there is a lot to interpret from the movie to be honest. Which I feel questions the existence of mankind, so I feel the movie has existentialism as one of its themes.Anyway, astounding movie 10/10

Mischief810 Not even the landscape and cinematography could save this one. It was a slow plod through an unlikely story line. The writing team should (figuratively) be taken out and shot.For heaven's sake, a full seven minutes passed before the first lines were uttered. I knew I was in trouble right there.I had to fast forward throughout just get past the boring parts. And those are too many to count. Add that to the lack of historical accuracy. The Norse were skilled seamen and navigators. Suggesting that a crew of them could get lost while sailing south and somehow end up sailing west is historical nonsense.I simply could not find one redeeming quality in Valhalla Rising. Even the title is misleading.Don't waste the time, money or bandwidth on it.