A one eyed mute viking warrior with super human strength fights through his captivity, escaping from the Norse Chieftain Barde who guards him. After escaping his cage One Eye is followed by a young boy, Are, who can somehow understand and translate the warrior’s thoughts. The two board a Christian viking ship that upon their arrival enters an endless fog on a journey the Christians believe is leading them into the bowels of Hell itself.
Valhalla Rising sports intense visuals that leave you stranded in a world of despair and helplessness. The movie is almost entirely focused on the Christian Vikings as their fears drive them into a paranoid insanity that only heightens as those fears begin to manifest themselves in a gruesome manner, dispatching those on board. Valhalla Rising won’t be for everyone as it is more than a slow burn, only about 15 minutes is action while the rest is tension building dialogue. The action when on display is barbaric in nature turning One Eye into a butchering mad man for his own survival. The movie suffers from style over explanation leaving me pretty confused in the end to exactly what the group’s final destination meant in the last moments.
