Kon-Tiki: Movie Review

Kon-Tiki: Movie Review

Cast: Pal Sverre Hagen, Anders Christiansen
Director: Joachim Ronning, Espen Sandberg

It's 1947 and an adventure of derring do has the world gripped in this latest historical re-enactment which has taken Norwegian cinema by storm.

It's the story of young Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl as he embarks on an astonishing expedition - a journey of 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean on the Kon-Tiki raft to Polynesia. Unsurprisingly, Heyerdahl has complete conviction in his belief that this can be done, using pluck and only a modern radio to help aboard the balsa wood raft.

But three months go by - and with no land in sight, soon Heyerdahl and his crew are wondering if their convictions, belief and sacrifices were all worth it...

Historically detailed and visually sumptuous, Kon-Tiki is a boys' own adventure which recalls some of the very best of old school film-making. It's also not a film which is particularly blessed with much plot, nuances of character or tons of action. It's quite simply, an almost documentary type piece which recreates the adventure of Heyerdahl and those who bought into his 10 year obsession.

Visually, the film is astounding with Norway, New York and life on the water vividly and wonderfully brought to life with breath-taking attention to period detail. It doesn't rely on shocks, twists or jolts to detail the life on the ocean wave, merely a series of moments which demonstrate how the Pacific teeters on the edge of the beautiful and the dangerous. An encounter with a whale introduces the group to the majesty of it all - and in a heartbeat, the possibility of the whale snapping some of their rudder shows how the menace can turn on the tide. In fact, the water scenes are very reminiscent of the recent film Life of Pi, even down to a shot of jellyfish floating by.

Hagen's Thor Heyerdahl is a wiry, blonde haired man whose conviction costs him everything. It's not a showy performance by any stretch of the imagination, merely one which grips you as the story plays out. To be frank, the rest of the crew get scant time for character growth at all, but somehow, as you're swept along in the derring do of it all, none of that actually seems to matter.

Based on Academy Award winning doco, Thor's Epic Voyage, Kon-Tiki feels like a very old school type of film, one where you're swept along with the adventure rather than investing much within the characters themselves. It captures the thrill of the spirit of adventure, friendship and the explorer bond which seems so inconceivable in these days of long haul travel.

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