Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
VALHALLA RISINGMovie Reviews
Action adventure about a supernaturally strong warrior, long imprisoned, who slays his captor and sets off with a young boy and a band of Christian Vikings to conquer Jerusalem. Cast:Mads Mikkelsen, Alexander Morton, Maarten Stevenson, Gary Lewis, Stewart Porter, Jamie SivesDirector:Nicolas Winding RefnRelease Date:July 16, 2010DVD Release:November 30, 2010From:IFCLength:1 hr. 33 min.
NOVEMBER 30, 2010
Valhalla Rising, Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Valhalla Rising played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "When it comes to crazy, violent, semidelirious, testosterone-laden, proto-Viking tales about a mute visionary one-eyed warrior who breaks skulls, this is pretty great." • And Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "...a trial for audiences seeking characters, plot, and things happening." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "When it comes to crazy, violent, semidelirious, testosterone-laden, proto-Viking tales about a mute visionary one-eyed warrior who breaks skulls, this is pretty great."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 107 words, 07/16/10
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Refn, who can pull off stylish brutality, shows no knack for the kind of visionary, hallucinatory image making that would render 'Valhalla Rising' memorable."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 07/16/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...mist-covered lochs, looming-face compositions and reductive elements ('One-Eye'? Really?) tilt this action drama dangerously close to a Monty Python parody."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 92 words, 07/16/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a weird and occasionally arresting... you sometimes wish Refn's gift for Ridley Scott-level mayhem had won the battle over his much iffier Werner Herzog leanings."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 07/23/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Bloody, muddy violence is spritzed with CGI-gore.... most impressive for its visual bounty.... always watchable until it signals the ultimate Game Over."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 09/03/10
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Director Nicolas Winding Refn is inexplicably fixated on the conflict between virtuous pagans and hypocritical, self-respect-destroying Christians during the Viking era..."(See all of Vadim Rizov's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 07/14/10
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...mixes theological symbolism with fatalistic visions of madness and folly.... a chilly, often slow, uncompromisingly harsh film, but Refn's images will sear your retinas."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 11/05/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Fascinating for its gonzo formal daring and brooding attitude, 'Valhalla' is still a trial for audiences seeking characters, plot, and things happening."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 498 words, 07/30/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...like a gorgeous graphic novel with a protagonist and story that vanish utterly from the mind as soon as the last page is turned."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 08/20/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Director Nicolas Winding Refn is inexplicably fixated on the conflict between virtuous pagans and hypocritical, self-respect-destroying Christians during the Viking era..."(See all of Vadim Rizov's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 07/14/10
Shaula Clark, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "If you're looking for a ripping historical lad flick like 'Gladiator' or '300,' look elsewhere -- this is 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God,' with the despondency jacked to 11."(See all of Shaula Clark's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 07/29/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an acid-tinged Viking odyssey.... has the misfortune of starting with its best chapter and steadily growing more ponderous from there... Yet it's a beautiful head trip, too..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 07/22/10
Lauren Wissot, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "Mads Mikkelsen just gets deeper and sexier with every role, possessing the same distilled intensity as his director. It's a match made in heaven, and even in hell."(See all of Lauren Wissot's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 07/11/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Heathens never get enough screen time... if you're looking to shake off the mall-movie blahs, there are few better places to look."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 07/23/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Refn, who can pull off stylish brutality, shows no knack for the kind of visionary, hallucinatory image making that would render 'Valhalla Rising' memorable."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 07/16/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a weird and occasionally arresting... you sometimes wish Refn's gift for Ridley Scott-level mayhem had won the battle over his much iffier Werner Herzog leanings."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 07/23/10
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a fugue-state meditation on the medieval encounter between Europe and America rather than a comprehensible yarn that travels from a beginning to an ending."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,125 words, 07/15/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: WEAK "A one-trick pony that rapidly wears out the considerable welcome of its first reel... like its characters, spends most of its time going round in circles..."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 09/05/09
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a weird and occasionally arresting... you sometimes wish Refn's gift for Ridley Scott-level mayhem had won the battle over his much iffier Werner Herzog leanings."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 07/23/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "Nicolas Winding Refn continues his examination of the dark nature of man.... reaffirms Refn's status as a distinctive voice and talent to watch in world cinema."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 343 words, 07/19/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: FAIR "Mr. Refn, who can pull off stylish brutality, shows no knack for the kind of visionary, hallucinatory image making that would render 'Valhalla Rising' memorable."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 07/16/10
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "Heathens never get enough screen time... if you're looking to shake off the mall-movie blahs, there are few better places to look."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 07/23/10
22.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Valhalla Rising's reviews are separated by an average 22.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Valhalla Rising (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Valhalla Rising's reviews cover 26.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,316 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 316 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 30.3 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Valhalla Rising's reviews on average broke 30.3 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Valhalla Rising's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Valhalla Rising (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
