Kon-Tiki

Each year we get to see some of the films that were honoured with an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language film.
Scientists are an interesting bunch. Most of them when they get set onto a coarse of action regarding a subject, they never give it up and usually to the detriment of friends and/or family. That is certainly the case with Thor Heyerdal. You have to admire his tenacity in trying to prove his theory. Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg have done a very good job at getting across that passion. What they seem to lack is making the journey that Thor and his mates go on interesting. Earlier this year Ang Lee set the bar pretty high for films about people (or person) stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean. The events that these guys go through are not all that different to what Pi experienced. But Ang made the journey more interesting. Ang did have a great book to work from and it had a certain fantasy element, so that's why he could do more. There are a few thrilling moments with encounters with sea creatures but they are few and far between. Most of the time the boys are lamenting the fact that they might not be going in the right direction. One other problem I had was the lack of background for Thor's mates and crew. His three mates seem rather keen to go on this treacherous journey but we do not know why. Are they such good friends that they will follow Thor anywhere? I would have liked a scene where Thor asks them to join him and try to convince them to join him.
Pal Sverre Hagen is very good as Thor. He does come across as very plain though. Pal does a good job of showing Thor's determination but I kind of expected a little more. Anders Baasmo Christiansen does a better job with his character. As the engineer who help Thor with the design of the boat and agrees to go on the journey but later regrets it, Anders is given more to work with. Gustaf Skarsgard is also very good and provides much of the film's humour with his witty lines. Agnes Kittelsen is excellent as Thor's poor suffering wife. While she was willing to follow him after they got married, she looses interest when they have children. That is one of the film's good parts where we see how selfish Thor is in going on this journey.
A good but not great film about a group of crazy Norwegians. I did not find it as inspiring as I had hoped.