Kon-Tiki

Name: Kon-Tiki
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Released: April 26, 2013
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Agnes Kittelsen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jakob Oftebro, Odd Magnus Williamson

2013

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 58 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 58 Ratings

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Kon-Tiki

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: April 26, 2013 | Not Rated

Starring: Agnes Kittelsen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jakob Oftebro, Odd Magnus Williamson, Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Tobias Santelmann

Summary: The story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300 miles crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947, in an effort prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

Director: Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

Joe Neumaier

Apr 25, 2013

This terrific film certainly contains the spark of discovery. Read full review

Bill Zwecker

May 2, 2013

Kon-Tiki reminds us how important it is to expand our horizons by making discoveries, exploring new worlds and pushing ourselves to the absolute limits of human endurance. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Donald Liebenson

Jun 11, 2013

While the wind goes out of its sails a few times along the way, this is a ravishingly photographed, old-fashioned man-against-the-elements adventure epic propelled by human-scaled heroics. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Apr 25, 2013

Kon-Tiki features a protagonist who was determination itself, a filmmaking style that is square as opposed to cutting edge, and a story that is strong enough to involve us despite its earnest underpinnings. Read full review

Ty Burr

May 4, 2013

Kon-Tiki is stalwart and uplifting and there are passing moments of wonder. Read full review

The Telegraph Tim Robey

Dec 18, 2014

It’s a sturdy, straight tribute to an undertaking that feels wacky, quixotic and heroically mad – proving little that it set out to prove, but a great deal accidentally, about resourcefulness and survival in extremis. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Apr 25, 2013

There’s no denying the real Heyerdahl’s bravery, but if this movie is to be believed, his voyage was largely bereft of tension and interesting conversation. Read full review

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User Reviews

maggiep

Jun 23, 2013

This is a wonderful movie! It's the best film I've seen all year. Reminded me of "Life of Pi" but better.
The action is riveting with special effects that enhance rather than exploit the narrative. It's nice to see a return to intelligence in special effects movie making. But call me oldThis is a wonderful movie! It's the best film I've seen all year. Reminded me of "Life of Pi" but better.
The action is riveting with special effects that enhance rather than exploit the narrative. It's nice to see a return to intelligence in special effects movie making. But call me old fashioned; I like movies that tell a story.
And everyone knows it's a great story. This film is just an energy boost from beginning to end. And the music and acting are superb. I think this film will get some Academy Award notice. The Weinstein brothers nail it again. Bravo!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

DogeGamer2015

Nov 13, 2021

Es una aventura muy épica; es excelente y merece mucho más reconocimiento del que recibe. ¡TOTALMENTE RECOMENDABLE!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Muffinrex

Apr 29, 2013

Great Norwegian movie about Thor Heyerdahl. The movie is exciting as well as dramatic, one of the best Norwegian movies ever made in my opinion. Must watch!

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

lasttimeisaw

Aug 21, 2015

Oscar's BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE nominee of 2012 from Norway, KON-TIKI is an ambitious endeavour from directors-duo Rønning and Sandberg (currently are recruited by Hollywood to shoot the fifth instalment of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise), to recount the story of Norwegian nationalOscar's BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE nominee of 2012 from Norway, KON-TIKI is an ambitious endeavour from directors-duo Rønning and Sandberg (currently are recruited by Hollywood to shoot the fifth instalment of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise), to recount the story of Norwegian national legend Thor Heyerdal’s monumental near 5,000-mile expedition on a balsawood raft (named Kon-Tiki) sailing from Peru to Polynesia in 1947, to simply prove that it is possible for South Americans to migrate in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.
keep reading my review on my blog: please google - cinema omnivore, thanks!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 24, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a historical adventure film, based on a true story (and thus is biographical in nature) with themes featured including expedition and voyage, obsession, trust and scientific theory. Fairly early on, I found myself thinking it seemed like a Norwegian version of the Willy Fogg Around The World in 80 Days story - a case of one mans steely determination to disprove the opinions of the ruling elite, or thereabouts. The story is quite an intriguing one and while the dialogue is mostly in Norwegian, there are also moments whereby French and Swedish are spoken, as well as English. Suffice to say, if your really not keen on subtitling, then you may want to bypass this title, as there is a fair amount of it present but I was pleasantly surprised to see that said subtitling was quite large in font size, thus not too awkward to read from the screen and also that there was less of it than I'd initially assumed.

Cast wise, the main character of Thor is depicted by Pal Sverre Hagen. He depicts Thor as a somewhat stubborn, motivated and very keen explorer. He has what could perhaps be regarded as a bit of a rugged look about himself, minorly, he doesn't exactly seem like he's spent too long in the wilderness but he did seem, to me, like a credible explorer type, if that makes any sense. He has a bit of a 'gung ho' look to himself. Other cast members include Anders Baasmo Christiansen, who plays Herman Watzinger, Tobias Santelmann, who plays Knut Haugland and Gustaf Skarsgard, who plays Bengt Danielsson. There is a definite camerarderie present between the various crew members (Thats not to say there's no bickering - there is) - there are some amusing moments via the witty dialogue but it still seemed mostly quite believable or realistic.

I thought it seemed quite a historically nostalgic film, well at the start certainly - the classical music score helps to lift our spirirts, as viewers and I found it easy to hope for the best outcome for Thor. I liked the cinematography present, with some scenes featuring fairly impressive camerashots of the relevant area - it felt pretty atmospheric as a film in general, which is (obviously) good. I also liked the presence of some old black and white photos which are shown on screen at certain times, to highlight other explorers who have set out on perhaps/presumably similar expeditions. I was surprised by how quickly the tone of the film changed from optimistic and even somewhat light hearted to one of danger and peril, with a definite feel of the underdogs being thrown out to fend for themselves. I supposed I shouldn't have been but I was a bit - it did seem quite sudden, although thats no bad thing. I liked that the various characters are relatively well developed, as it made me feel more keen to see what the ultimate outcome would be for them.

Content wise, the film contains some moderate violence including some bloody injuries shown, scenes of a threatening nature, some moderately strong language and fairly mild partial nudity, with no real sex scenes as such depicted. The film has been given a 15 rating to reflect this.

I thought this was a well made film, which featured an intriguing plot and some good characters, so I enjoyed watching it. Its not as predictable as I may have initially expected and so I appreciated it as being a decent film.

Yes I would recommend this film, as I felt the story was quite interesting in and of itself but also its well cast, surprisingly atmospheric and it features interesting characters. It does rely on subtitles quite a lot, although they are fairly large in text size and thus should be easier to read than perhaps other foreign films. It may not appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it and would recommend it based on that.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

atrichornis

Sep 3, 2013

Based on a great story and beautifully shot, but the acting is overly theatrical and I can't remember the last time I saw so many clichés packed into one film. Very unsubtle.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Qgal5kap

Mar 10, 2022

Sad to see so many good actors in such a terrible movie. Absolutely disappointing! Shame on you!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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