Warning: This review contains a spoiler about the ending of the film, but only because it is a well known true story that you probably learned about in primary school. If you don't know the story of the Kon-Tiki expedition, then I suggest you just go see the movie without reading the below. It's fun, gripping and a rollicking good adventure. Don't read any further!
Kon-Tiki is only showing in limited theatres and probably not for much longer, but it is worth seeing if you enjoy "based on a true story" movies with grand adventure and high levels of tension. You may have learned of the Norwegian adventurer/ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl in school. After spending time in Polynesia, he theorised that it was settled by South Americans coming west, which went against the accepted wisdom that it was settled by Asians going east. When his professional community laughed in his face, he decided the only way to convince them was to prove it. So he built a balsawood raft, the same as the Peruvians would have done 1500 years earlier, and floated 8000 kilometres from Peru to Polynesia in 1947.
The film follows a very conventional structure as we meet Thor and his wife when they come up with the theory, watch as he gets rejected by all and sundry in the civilised world, see him come up with his crazy plan and then overcome the odds as he and five other men as crazy as he is undertake the journey of a lifetime. There is no time shifting structure or twists. And yet this is one of the most gripping films I've seen in a while, despite knowing the outcome in advance. The film manages to drag you into the storyline so that you forget you know the result, and it's very tense watching the interplay between the men as they firstly build and stock the raft, then sail it a very long distance. Thor Heyerdahl most certainly had to be a little bit mad, since he couldn't swim and was afraid of water after nearly drowning as a child. From the movie, it seems that some of his companions had a little bit of madness in them too. Will the madness take over and bring the mission to a tragic end, or will they be able to pull it back? It's fascinating stuff. Throw circling whales and sharks into the mix and it's very tense. The whole audience sucked in their breath at the same time at one point.
The movie is a Norwegian production with Norwegian actors so there are no recognisable faces here. This is really helpful though as it's more convincing and you're not distracted by "hey, that's so-and-so". Pal Sverre Hagen does a great job portraying Thor, displaying the charm and intelligence he must have had to do what he did, while also showing the dark side of obsession. The Kon-Tiki raft was built using the same primitive methods as the predecessors would have used and had no modern technology other than radio to keep in contact with the newspapers and magazines that were giving him the money to fund the trip. The other actors are a great bunch too, bringing the humourous moments. The actress playing Thor's wife Liv, who was sadly left behind as he pursued his dream, is also very good, showing the sacrifices that were made.
If I haven't sold it enough, Kon-Tiki was nominated for an Oscar this year for 'Best Foreign Film'. It didn't win, but was definitely a worthy contender. It was a grand adventure, packed full of drama and a testament to the slightly mad individuals who have made so many important discoveries in the world.
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