Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- hypnotic
- foreboding
- late night cinephile viewing
- dark historical fantasy marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film’s hypnotic atmosphere, striking visual design, and ambitious mythic intensity, while remaining divided over its sparse plotting and deliberately ponderous pace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
One Eye’s mute presence, ritualized brutality, and the film’s supernatural journey create a stark fusion of physical severity and mystical dread.
One Eye escapes captivity, travels into an unknown land, and gradually confronts a deeper sense of his own identity.
Fog, barren terrain, and the unknown land transform the Viking voyage into a disorienting journey through hostile natural spaces.
One Eye is mute throughout the escape and voyage, while his supernatural strength and physical decisions drive the narrative.
Films like Valhalla Rising, and why
The Northman
Shares brutal medieval adventure, mythic ambiguity, austere atmosphere, and a journey through hostile wilderness.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Shares hallucinatory historical adventure, colonial dread, oppressive landscapes, and psychologically destabilizing violence.
The Revenant
Shares contemplative pacing, spiritual alienation, stylized violence, and an enigmatic protagonist moving through a hostile world.
The Green Knight
Shares surreal historical setting, grim fatalism, sparse dialogue, and a descent into metaphysical darkness.
Movie Details
- Director
- Nicolas Winding Refn
- Release Date
- 2010-03-10
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (1378)
Cast
- Mads Mikkelsen
- Gary Lewis
- Jamie Sives
- Ewan Stewart
- Alexander Morton
- Callum Mitchell
- Andrew Flanagan
- Douglas Russell
- Maarten Stevenson
- Gordon Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Valhalla Rising about?
- A mute Norse warrior and a boy slave cross from captivity into a fog-shrouded wilderness where brutal survival becomes a cryptic spiritual reckoning.
- What is Valhalla Rising like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Valhalla Rising as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Valhalla Rising violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Valhalla Rising as graphic.
- What did critics think of Valhalla Rising?
- Critics broadly recognize the film’s hypnotic atmosphere, striking visual design, and ambitious mythic intensity, while remaining divided over its sparse plotting and deliberately ponderous pace.
- Which films are like Valhalla Rising?
- Films with a similar feel include The Northman, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Revenant, and The Green Knight.
- How long is Valhalla Rising?
- Valhalla Rising runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Valhalla Rising?
- In United States, Valhalla Rising streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder.
