Arctic

Le film démarre lentement pour ensuite prendre une tournure plus dramatique au vu de la situation désespérée qu’il dépeint. On suit les règles du drame survival crédible et minimaliste sans tomber dans les clichés thriller, laissant une place digne à mon acteur préféré du moment. Ne vous attendez quand même pas à la claque qu’était 127 heures de Danny Boyle. [Cannes] (12/05/2018)

It adequately fulfils the task of “minimalist survival in the Arctic”, but not a iota more. It’s just what you can expect. Mikkelsen has to pull and the viewer has to sit. That it would entertain me twice, that I can’t say. (28/03/2019)

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)

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)

I didn't realize what I was getting myself into until the moment that endless white landscape spread out before me. This couldn't be more monotonous, I thought. But after a few minutes, when I was wondering whether this role of his was outright stupidity, Mads decided not to leave it at that and started fighting with the snow. And suddenly I forgot that there's nothing around, suddenly I was rooting for him and living through every move he made. I wouldn't take that on with an average actor. I'd do it again with Mads. A strong 3 stars. (23/10/2021)

A melancholic journey undertaken by two castaways across a snowbound continent. Everything relies entirely on Mikelsen, who drags the movie along as doggedly as he does the sledge. This movie about a man pitted against nature, which cheats whenever it can, is bleak, but it has surprises in store. Unfortunately the directing has no surprises, which is a bit of a shame. Penna takes no chances and leaves everything to one excellent Danish actor and Icelandic exteriors. It’ll be alright. (06/04/2019)

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)

One hundred percent immersive spectacle. I believed everything Mads Mikkelsen did, and that was the basis of its success. I liked that we don't know anything more about his character than that he's a smart guy, we're thrown into the plot at the beginning and gradually get to know what the creators want us to know. For example, that a man can remain a man even in the worst conditions. Or should. (15/09/2019)

Une histoire de survie lente et conventionnelle dans laquelle Mads se retrouve en vie au-delà du cercle arctique suite à un accident d’avion et fait tout ce qu’il peut pour retourner à la civilisation. Les dialogues sont presque inexistants et tout repose sur le jeu de Mikkelsen et ses expressions faciales – ce qui est appréciable. Par contre, l’intrigue n’offre rien de bien nouveau comparé à ce que les autres films du genre ont déjà proposé. Je peux d’ailleurs imaginer que ce film deviendra, avec le temps, celui « où Mads tire un traîneau ». Après la séance, je me suis senti aussi éreinté que le héros principal. [Sitges 2018] (07/10/2018)

Un drame survivaliste fort sur la résilience humaine, la détermination et la force de survivre à tout prix, dominé par la performance à cent pour cent de Mikkelsen et par la capacité du scénario à tirer la meilleure partie d'une situation apparemment désespérée, de l'inhospitalité de l'environnement arctique et d'accessoires réduits au maximum. La tension graduellement croissante et l'aggravation progressive des conditions auxquelles doit faire face le personnage principal, héroïque, persévérant et positif à tous points de vue, parvient à captiver du début à la fin, même si le film frôle parfois l'invraisemblable pour ces mêmes raisons. (08/10/2018)

A one-man survival flick with the great (but for my tastes, too nice) Mikkelsen. I highly recommend seeing it in the cinema, as the chilly atmosphere is truly evocative and unrivalled on the big screen. I don't think I would have watched it on my own at home. What struck me was the considerable degree of detachment caused by the absence of any flashbacks (unlike, for example, Boyle's 127 Hours). So you don't really learn anything about the main character and you have to experience the whole tough Arctic struggle directly with Mads. Quite a decent contribution to the survival genre. (28/04/2019)

Arctic couldn't have been filmed anymore chillingly and, most importantly, more realistically. I admire the creators for the way they handled the subject matter. I watched the whole film with great fascination, and the suspense at times almost took my breath away. Mads Mikkelsen gave it all a touch of realness. In his tenacious fight for life, I trusted his every look, gesture, and movement. (85%) (22/01/2022)