Arctic

2018 Directed by Joe Penna

Survival is the only option

A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost and he must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.

Mads Mikkelsen Maria Thelma Smáradóttir Tintrinai Thikhasuk

Alternative Titles

Arctique, 極北, 極線生機

drama

98 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by davidehrlich ★★★½

It doesn’t take long for Joe Penna’s “Arctic” to establish itself as one of the best movies ever made about a man stranded in the wilderness. In fact, there’s a small but crystalline moment in the first act (some 15 or 20 minutes in, maybe) when this hellishly cold portrait of human endurance claws ahead of the pack and never looks back.
The context is easy to describe — the conflict frozen across Mads Mikkelsen’s face is not. The Danish star, throwing himself into an Iceland shoot that could probably make for a compelling survival story unto itself, plays a downed pilot named Overgård. The nearly wordless film starts at some point after his plane has crashed into a deep…
Review by sofyan ★★★★ 2

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW MADS MIKKELSEN WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
Review by matt lynch ★★★ 2

Luckily there's almost no dialogue in this so you don't have to hear people constantly mispronouncing it as "artic."
Review by harlequinade ⚡🥂💪 ★★★ 4

the snow: *not melting away in Mads' presence*
that woman's wounds: *not immediately healing when she saw Mads*
me: is this...is this sci-fi?!
the fish: *allowing Mads to catch them*
that polar bear: *trying to get to Mads to snuggle, I presume*
me: gosh, animals are so smart and relatable <3
Review by Nicholas Faron ★★★½

Mads Mikkelsen makes the snow look like his bitch.
Review by Cole Duffy ★★★★ 5

Brutal. Arctic’s greatest strength is its realism: the survivors aren’t superpowered beings who can overcome anything or sleep in the corpse of a bison, but rather normal people, and it sucks us into the ice-cold world the film presents us with. There’s no tragic backstory, no lengthy exposition, just two people desperately trying to survive. Leading actor Mads Mikkelsen has never been this good before; it’s easily the best performance of his career, all in his eyes and the way he drags his unconscious costar along in a sled. It’s also shot beautifully, letting the beauty of the harsh Arctic come across as alien and barren. What we have here is a solid survival film with some great acting, and it’s a highlight of the calendar year so far.
Review by ❣️ Ashley ❣️ ★★★★ 1

From its simple but heart-wrenching opening scene, 'Arctic' is a beautifully shot and emotionally gripping slow burn that manages to say so much about human survival, despite hardly featuring any spoken words.
Read my full article... www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-arctic-the-ice-isnt-the-only-thing-thats-chilling
Review by xavier ★★★★ 1

i want mads mikkelsen to gut me and devour me like that trout
Review by thelilyankee ★★★ 4

100 Movies Challenge (1st Apr - 30th Jun)
#24
This intense dramatic film about survival had me on the edge of my seat for the most part.
Mads Mikkelson is excellent in this movie. He is honestly one of the most underrated actor working today. He did a great job at non-verbally displaying human emotions and intense suffering.
But the overall directing and story didn’t do much for me, nor did it differentiate itself numerous other survival-themed movies. Which is unfortunate.
Review by kayla ★★★½ 5

0% chance I survive this
Review by Antun Kovacevic ★★½ 5

Film #1/31 for May Scavenger Hunt #50!
It's a bit unfair to put Mads Mikkelsen in the middle of nowhere. After all, he was Hannibal Lecter, he can make a meal from anything.
Let's get back to this film. A simple film with a simple premise, and a fantastic actor in the middle of it. Did it work? Well, yes and no.
Let's start with a good things first. The absolute best thing about this film is, its above mentioned lead actor, Mads Mikkelsen. He's fantastic as always. He carries this film heavily, and without him this film would work at all. He's like a 90% of the film. The director knows that and he uses him really well.
Another…
Review by Marianna ✨🪐 Neal ★★★½

Just watching Mads Mikkelsen's struggles here made me feel cold. And that's not how I usually feel about Mads Mikkelsen.

Recent reviews

Review by sailorscorpio ★★★

This whole movie is just “oh, Mads, we’re really in it now.”
Review by Matt420 ★★★★

I’m mad for Mads!
Review by James Salvatore ★★★

Is it fair to ask whether it passes the Bechdel test? Honestly how does it feel to star opposite Mads Mikkelsen and all you get to do is occasionally hold his hand and cough?
Seriously though, it is a fine movie, and my only real objection is that there is some unnecessary escalation of the impediments the protagonist needs to overcome, as if his main journey wasn’t grueling and desperate enough.
Review by amnesiacmp4 ★★★★

had to watch it three times for it to fully get digested and leave my mind because it was that good. some scenes still live rent free in my head. can't wait for Penna's next movie.
Review by carl123 ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Great acting. The end is a classic Hollywood scene that finishes of course well at the very end. I would have loved to learn more about the overall surroundings concerning all of the backstory of why the guy is there, and why nobody seems to be searching for him...
Review by irem ★★★★½

yıkılmak bilmeyen dağ gibisin mads mikkelsen, senin it's okay diyişine kurban olayım...
Review by MaxMayo ★★★½

Zu Beginn muss man die Frage aufwerfen, was man selbst subjektiv von einem Survival-Drama erwartet. Für mich stehen da die schauspielerische Leistung und tolle Kameraaufnahmen im Vordergrund. Diese zwei Kriterien werden hier definitiv erfüllt.
Aber um wieder etwas zurück zu rudern: Hier wird das Rad nicht neu erfunden.
Mads Mikkelsen liefert eine One-Man-Show ab und überzeugt auf ganzer Linie. Aber Mads Mikkelson könnte auch ein Glas Gurken spielen und ich wäre vollends überzeugt davon.
Er stellt die Verzweiflung und den letzten Funken Hoffnung so dar, das man ab der ersten Minute gefesselt ist. Auch wenn nicht viel geredet wird (dafür haben die Drehbuchautoren auch gesorgt, denn die Mit-Zu-Rettende ist nicht nur nicht bei Bewusstsein sondern spricht auch noch eine andere Sprache als unser toller Protagonist), kann man trotzdem jede Emotion am eigenen Leib spüren.
Ich muss mich jetzt erstmal aufwärmen.
Review by Josh Vandenborre ★★★½

This film was great at establishing the setting and then quickly jumping right into the realism of survival.
Review by DaveyHuff ★★★½

A beautiful and harrowing experience. Humans being selfless, and trucking on when faced with adversity. Will make you feel cold no matter how warm you are, and it has Mads Mikkelsen. What more could you want?
Review by JayPrimetown ★★½

My wife and I are always up a survival film. We started this one late last night just knowing it was an Arctic wilderness type survival story. Arctic starts off in a surprisingly peaceful. It's Mads Mikkelsen in a regular routine. He fishes, draws SOS in rocks in the snow, he prepares his sushi, all the while he has alarms on his watch for when he should start / stop each activity. After he witnesses an accident, the story flips into a more direct push for survival.
This film really is Mads Mikkelsen's movie. There are only three people in this film and only two of them ever say a word. The number of words spoken in this film can…
Review by Ilikemuuuvies ★★★½

Artic, starts off with a man surviving the conditions in the Artic due to a plane crash. This movie doesn’t give you any back story it’s all about survival. There’s almost no dialogue, you just sit back and watch in awe what this poor man goes through. Mads Mikkelsen shows you the struggle of combating the brutal elements and toll it took on his body as well as the Incredible will it takes to take that next step. Just remarkable acting, Mads is the most under appreciated actor currently working.
Review by 5150clone ★★★

Mads Mikkelsen gives a really good performance in this survival joint. But it goes on a little too long. Overall, I still liked it