Legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300-mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsawood raft in 1947, in an effort prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.
We are presented with some striking shots of the ocean, but there is very little sense of drama, tension or excitement, while the crewmates are so poorly defined that it’s hard to care about what happens to them.
The cinematography has a stirring beauty, and fish experts can fill their boots, but it’s a pity that directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg chose to float such a crudely lashed-together boys’ own adventure.
Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film back in 2013, Kon-Tiki is undeniably beautiful and exciting even if its directors do err a little on the safe side.
A big-spirited and inspiring boy’s own adventure. If its directors’ next port of call, Pirates 5, boasts as many thrills per nautical mile, the franchise is in good hands.
A token effort is made to flesh out the hero’s relationship with the wife (Agnes Kittelsen) he left behind, but in the end it’s Boys’ Own stuff all the way.
Enjoyable but not as exciting as it should be.
What the film doesn't skimp on is spectacle. Brilliantly shot in a rugged National Geographic-like way by the cinematographer Geir Hartly Andreassen, it captures the sailors' feelings of both awe and terror about their self-inflicted predicament.
Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg certainly seize the opportunity to deliver a spirited high seas adventure, taking some creative liberties along the way, but remaining true to the spirit of the times and the participants.
An Oscar-nominated dramatisation of Thor Heyerdahl’s epic sea journey ratchets up the tension.
Espen Sandberg and Joachim Roenning talk Kon-Tiki
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Friday December 19, 2014, until Wednesday December 24, 2014. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday December 26, 2014, until Tuesday December 30, 2014. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com