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Kon-Tiki

Play trailer Poster for Kon-Tiki PG-13 Released Apr 26, 2013 1h 58m Adventure Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 80 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) suspects that the South Sea Islands were originally colonized by South Americans. In 1947 despite his fear of water and inability to swim, Heyerdahl decides to prove his theory. He and five companions set sail from Peru on a balsa-wood raft built from an ancient design. Their only modern equipment is a radio, and they must navigate using the stars and ocean currents. After three exhausting months at sea, they achieve their goal.
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Kon-Tiki

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Critics Consensus

A well-crafted retelling of an epic true story, Kon Tiki is a throwback to old-school adventure filmmaking that's exciting and entertaining in spite of its by-the-book plotting.

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Critics Reviews

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Bilge Ebiri Spirituality & Health Although the film is replete with suspense, it's often at its best when playing the characters on the raft off one another. Mar 25, 2020 Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) Considering we all know the outcome, the levels of tension remain impressive, while an atmosphere of melancholy tempers even the most triumphant moments. Rated: 4/5 Dec 21, 2014 Full Review Geoffrey Macnab Independent (UK) It is beautifully shot and has the same fierce intelligence about it that you find in its producer's other epic "quest" movies. Rated: 3/5 Dec 19, 2014 Full Review Lucía Roitbarg EscribiendoCine Unlike other films about rafts that shipwreck in the middle of the ocean, nothing in this film is accidental. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 8/10 Nov 13, 2023 Full Review Cory Woodroof Nashville Scene Somewhat akin to the similarly sea-bound Life of Pi, Kon-Tiki's visual splendor stems from the film's painterly art direction and lush cinematography. Sep 9, 2021 Full Review Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) This polite, stony-faced dramatisation of the voyage is pretty much Life of Pi without the stowaway tiger or the groovy 3D visuals, but with the same amount of sharks and storms. Rated: 3/5 Apr 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andreas K A superbly filmed reconstruction of Thor Heyerdahl's expedition. Even though the actual voyage at sea is surprisingly short in the film, he manages to embed the story in great pictures and the Norwegian actors, who you don't know from every Hollywood movie, let the characters come to likeable life. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/11/23 Full Review Nawt W Even with an inspiring subject at hand, the creators could not figure out how to make the plot seem thrilling without adding a boatload of forced and overly dramatized conflicts that seemed as artificial as that CGI crab stowaway on the raft. Granted, low-grade CGI can be forgiven, seeing as there are some instances of it actually looking favorable, like the shark attacks. On the other hand, the low points, which almost by the numbers imitate Hollywood shlock, where the crew must come together at the end of this second act of ours and "HAVE SOME GODDAMN FAITH," are so distasteful it stings. None of the characters, aside from Thor and Watzinger, are memorable in the slightest outside of their roles on the raft. Watzinger is notable for all the wrong reasons since the script decided to make him the christened infidel and the odd one out who needs some goddamn faith, which he obviously obtains at the end. Thor's tenuous relationship with his wife also seemed overly trite until he actually read her letter. That part definitely elevates his entire character and gives his obsession more gravity, for his adventuring feats don't give him an advantage in all other aspects of life. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Megan e This was surprisingly good and a decent adaptation of the book! Good performances, and a good reminder of the adventures and advancements made since the 40's. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/10/23 Full Review Shock Therapy R The feature movie includes some personal elements such as his wife and children left behind. Also, the insistence on ancient building methods seems to draw the ire of the engineer in the feature film. Seems like quite an experience and quite an honorary tribute to Kon-Tiki god and ancient traditions. I also viewed the 1951 documentary of same. Glad it worked out, despite its insistent cavalier style. I'm probably going to check history and see if his wife remained married to him. It's the crew onshore that Thor seemed to disregard, even if Mother Nature gave him and they a bye. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/23 Full Review Audience Member The worst 01 hour: and 58 minutes in ****ing *****y Norwegian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member It feels like a documentary more then anything else, but some just don't make any sense... Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) suspects that the South Sea Islands were originally colonized by South Americans. In 1947 despite his fear of water and inability to swim, Heyerdahl decides to prove his theory. He and five companions set sail from Peru on a balsa-wood raft built from an ancient design. Their only modern equipment is a radio, and they must navigate using the stars and ocean currents. After three exhausting months at sea, they achieve their goal.
Director
Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Producer
Aage Aaberge, Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter
Petter Skavlan
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Production Co
Film i Väst, Recorded Picture Company (RPC), DCM Productions, Nordisk Film
Rating
PG-13 (A Disturbing Violent Sequence)
Genre
Adventure, Drama
Original Language
Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.5M
Runtime
1h 58m
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