Are you tired of shark attack movies? Or, at least, are you craving a different flavor of aquatic horror? You are lucky this year! Not only is it Hungry unleashing a killer hippopotamus on the audience (review coming soon), but a mythical sea creature from Norway rises from the depths. Pål Øie’s Kraken nodded to Sea fever, ThemeAnd Underwater in its modest attempt to exploit a nightmare of Nordic folklore. It’s a bit of everything you’ve seen in the big monster movies, hoping that the beautiful Scandinavian settings will distract from the usual nature themes.
Events revolve around a salmon farm in Vangsnes, a research center built in a picturesque fjord that is currently testing sound waves as an anti-lice treatment for fish. Johanne (Sara Khorami) is brought in to inspect the technology, reuniting with chief engineer and former partner Erik (Mikkel Bratt Silset). The site’s bigwig, Avaldsnes (Øyvind Brandtzæg), asks his right-hand man to bypass security barriers to impress visiting investors. He thinks this will ensure that his salmon won’t get sliced remarkably, but instead he will incur the wrath of a gigantic beast residing in the fjord: “The Kraken”.
Cinematographer Sjur Aarthun earns his salary by showcasing all the magnificent mountain ranges that create the fjord’s towering walls. The Kraken is a simple, familiar concept that, like many waterlogged horror films, relies on its personal touches to shift the norms of the subgenre. You have your foolish businessman who dooms his company and the surrounding residents by ignoring environmental regulations and summoning a big, bad monster who feasts on innocent people. Johanne tries to intervene, tourists disappear, yadda yadda, it’s up to you. What separates The Kraken among a multitude of films about sharks, octopuses and other sea creatures is the Kraken itself and the Lovecraftian menace it brings.
You have to wait (too long) until the Kraken appears, rolling around with cloaking fog, but when it does, Øie puts the emphasis on creature effects. Whether the tentacles slide through the corridors of a now unanchored installation, whether the Kraken looms in the moonlight like a divinity from Atlantis, or whether we see him struggling underwater, Øie wants his star to live up to it. Digital and practical methods blend where necessary, although close-up views of the suction cups on the Kraken’s appendages aren’t always pixel perfect. The massive designs with Kaiju appeal deserve praise, and yet portions of the Kraken don’t always look as sharp on screen. Or the splashes of lively schools of salmon are disappointing. It’s strange, because the large-scale illustrations of Kraken are a sight to behold, while the small things are groggy.
Unfortunately, Kraken plays coyly with the death scenes. Parasitic minions with skull-shaped backs attack the crew like soldiers, but any victims they claim are off-camera. The Kraken grabs humans, flings them into the air or pulls them towards its beaked mouth, but we never get a solid kill visual. Øie films violent actions, pulling bodies underwater only to be shown chewed in half, washing up on the shore a few scenes later. Whether for budgetary reasons or by choice, we get yet another example of a creature feature that cuts right before a bloody payoff. Perhaps Øie wants to emphasize the survival adventure aspects, so as not to drive away more casual thrill-seekers who don’t ask for some graphic fatalities from the Kraken.
For better or for worse, Kraken checks all the necessary boxes but rarely gets extra credit. Performance, pacing and shot selection are solid foundations. Signature touches add a touch of personality, whether it’s an underwater restaurant setting or Jon Erik Myre’s Hodor-sized weeb of a tech genius. Ecological messages are given due importance, even if they are integrated into the dialogue. There’s little here that strays from expectations, but Øie leads with a steady hand. It’s hard to find anything to complain about, although the enthusiasm isn’t overflowing either.
But Kraken has a problem. This is a pretty solid Norwegian import that ultimately does justice to its namesake sea beast, but doesn’t really contain much of said beast. It’s never about redefining the subgenre, nor is Øie trying to. Those who dream of a Kraken movie will receive exactly that; however, the story is more of a tease than a joke. Don’t expect to escape the typical flaws of aquatic horror offerings – few titles do. This wouldn’t be a problem in more eye-catching examples. Here, Øie’s ability to execute the basics isn’t enough to overcome what turns out to be just another soggy dud that can’t deliver on the promise of exceptional aquatic horror.
Movie rating: 2.5/5
