Arctic
Bleecker Street | Release Date: February 1, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Washington PostPat PaduaFeb 5, 2019
A thoroughly engrossing take on a familiar scenario. Read full review
88
ObserverOliver JonesJan 31, 2019
The manner in which Mikkelsen, the former Danish gymnast and dancer we chiefly know for his suave villains in 2006’s "Casino Royale" and the NBC series "Hannibal," plays off his largely mute charge is simply extraordinary. Read full review
88
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJan 31, 2019
It’s pretty amazing just how compelling this is for being so simple, but it allows the viewer to really get wrapped up in the minutiae of it all: The performance, the landscape, the minor triumphs and major setbacks. Read full review
83
Original-CinLiam LaceyFeb 7, 2019
The deliberate pacing, cinematographer Tómas Örn Tómasson's images reminding of the vulnerable human scale against the landscape and the skeletal narrative, bringing a refreshing purity to a classic predicament. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 30, 2019
Penna’s concept is hardly new, but his execution is sharp, clean, and smartly paced; a harrowing postcard from the void. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMay 14, 2018
Arctic works because it’s so believable. The movie never cheats or takes shortcuts. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfMay 13, 2019
Mikkelsen is endlessly compelling. Read full review
80
Film ThreatLorry KiktaFeb 3, 2019
This film is definitely the Mads Mikkelsen show, and it is one of his most powerful, emotive performances to date. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinFeb 1, 2019
The movie really takes your mind off your own troubles. I liked it a lot. Read full review
80
TheWrapRobert AbeleJan 31, 2019
Arctic has the do-or-die chops to affirm Mikkelsen’s rugged allure, as well as its young filmmaker’s sensitive-showman promise. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJan 30, 2019
Somehow, despite that minimalistic approach, we are emotionally swept up in Overgård’s desperate fight to stay alive. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanMay 14, 2018
Penna works in what you might call a gratifyingly prosaic style. He doesn’t wow you (though the film, in its level way, is elegantly shot). But he doesn’t cheat you, either, so you come to trust the gravity of his nuts-and-bolts storytelling. Read full review
80
The GuardianGwilym MumfordMay 14, 2018
Mikkelsen hurls himself into proceedings. It’s a performance of intense commitment, one where every grunt and yowl feels agonisingly authentic. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldFeb 12, 2019
If tense man-against-nature arm-wrestling is your jam (think Robert Redford in “All Is Lost,” but with snow and Mads Mikkelsen) this film makes for a compelling hour and a half; you know where it’s going, but you never quite believe it’ll actually get there. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleFeb 6, 2019
Despite very little dialogue and only one actor with a speaking role, Arctic has a smart script. Something is always happening. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJan 31, 2019
The film is a fine reminder of how cinematic language can and should transcend the spoken word. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 31, 2019
Arctic is a lesson in lessness, coolly observed and warmly felt. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJan 31, 2019
Arctic has the courage to avoid obvious payoffs. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 30, 2019
What takes Arctic to the next level is Mikkelsen’s stirringly expressive face. Known for playing villains — the dead-eyed 007 nemesis Le Chiffre in "Casino Royale" and the title killer in the TV series "Hannibal" (2013-2015) — Mikkelsen invests Overgård with a bracing humanity that you root for every step of the way. Read full review
70
VoxAlissa WilkinsonMay 14, 2018
Arctic doesn’t employ too many fancy tricks or frills: It’s just a simple, straight-ahead survival drama that lets Mikkelsen showcase his considerable acting chops, leaving viewers as impressed with his stamina as we are with his character’s. Read full review
70
Screen DailyLee MarshallMay 14, 2018
There’s plenty to admire in this trim, nearly dialogue-free 97-minute drama, not least Mads Mikkelsen’s raw performance as a downed airman waiting for rescue in the Arctic wastes, and the widescreen majesty of the Icelandic landscapes that stand in for the film’s polar setting. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerFeb 13, 2019
It does not reinvent the wheel (or, more aptly, sled runner) but it's a tale that survives the retelling. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd May 14, 2018
As a showcase for Mikkelsen’s commitment, it’s sometimes gripping...Mads gets to show an intense vulnerability for once. That’s worth seeing, though one wishes Arctic complicated its life-and-death ordeal a little more, or at least varied its obstacles. At a certain point, even raw, screaming endurance isn’t quite drama enough. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreFeb 26, 2019
Arctic doesn’t vary from the conventions of this genre — ever. But Mikkelsen’s star turn at the center of it makes this wintry tale its own “Revenent,” with suffering and compassion, terror and even humor playing out on his expressive face. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzFeb 7, 2019
The actor offers an incredibly committed and determined performance, but by the film’s end, you wish he’d be able to get back to doing what he does best: eating. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comNick AllenFeb 1, 2019
Though Overgård spends a lot of time alone with his thoughts, Arctic lacks what makes for the best movies of its ilk: it does not inspire much imagination concerning what our hero might do first if he does get back home. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithJan 30, 2019
The film has a raw immediacy that can only be achieved when most cinematic excesses have been eliminated. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 14, 2018
This is Penna’s debut feature, and he has set himself a high bar which he just about scrapes over, with Mikkelsen giving the entire project a super-strength leg up. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 14, 2018
Arctic is elegantly shot, crisp and unfussy, and seamless in its near-invisible use of digital effects, creating a persuasive you-are-there feeling that's rare in these days of flashy CG thrills. And it's the very old-fashioned movie magic of an expressive face that keeps you watching even as the storytelling ambles. Read full review
60
CineVueJoe WalshMay 14, 2018
Far from breaking the mould of the survival drama genre, Arctic nonetheless offers thrilling moments and entertains throughout, mainly thanks to Mikkelsen’s muscular performance as the grizzled Overgård. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJan 29, 2019
If the bare-minimum characterizations at first feel like a refreshing alternative to the most modern survival film (think everything from 127 Hours to The Shallows), they eventually betray a movie that maybe—just maybe—doesn’t have a lot of ideas about where to go past the first act. Like its protagonist, it trudges toward an unknown destination out of obligation. Read full review
58
The PlaylistJordan RuimyMay 17, 2018
The simplicity of the film is commendable, but it’s only in the last act where things finally come together and any kind of visceral thrills arrive far too late. Even Mikkelson’s on-screen talents can’t save an admirable yet stagnant film in dire need of a heartbeat. Read full review
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