Ragnarok (aka G�ten Ragnarok)

[Edgy MD]

Down-and-out Norwegian archeologist stumbles onto a long-buried Viking secret, that may provide the key to Viking mythology and their prophecy of the end of the world.

[fimg=400:1ef5r28p]http://www.findelahistoria.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/GatenRagnarok-Poster.jpg[/fimg:1ef5r28p]

in Norwegian, with helpful English subtitles.

[Edgy MD]

It's a picture that comes along now and then, like with Crouching Dragon or District 9 or something, where you go, "That wasn't perfect or anything, but it's got polish and sure proves that (insert country here) can do anything Hollywood can do."

The filmmakers here have clearly studied Speilberg's bag of tricks. Aside from a damaged family and children put in harm's way, you'll recognize shots and cuts from the Indiana Jones movies, the Jurassic Park series, and the original Jaws. E.T. too. They borrow liberally from some of Peter Jackson's best Lord of the Rings shots and Howard Shore's and John Williams' musical cues as well. You'll even recognize some lines. ("It's a tomb!")

And it's remarkable, because like Jaws, the tension and catharsis are achieved with minimal reliance on special effects and CGI. It's a film about a family running around in the woods, but it hits all it's marks, and so achieves it's action/adventure scale through execution, rather than investment.

I couldn't conscientiously call it great or anything, because its liberal borrowing is so noticeable, but it's a solid modest-budget shot across the bow, and recalls the start of Jackson's and Roland Emmerich's careers, in announcing to the Lucas-Speilberg drenched world that, hey, there are new players in the game.

[Frayed Knot]

But if you can only see one Norwegian movie this year ...