Kon Tiki

2013

Kon Tiki

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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Kon Tiki Photos

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Movie Info

Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans already back in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the sea and settle on Polynesian islands. After gathering financing for the trip with loans and donations, they set off on an epic 101 day-long journey across 8,000 kilometers, all while the world was watching. KON-TIKI tells about the origin of Heyerdahl's idea and the events surrounding the group's voyage.(c) Weinstein

Rating:

PG-13 (for a disturbing violent sequence)
Genre:

Drama
Directed By:

Espen Sandberg, Thor Heyerdahl, Joachim Rønning
In Theaters:

Apr 26, 2013 limited
On Disc/Streaming:

Aug 27, 2013
Box Office:

$1,511,798
Runtime:

101 minutes
Studio:

The Weinstein Company

Cast

Thor Heyerdahl

Ben Grauer
as Kommentator

Tobias Santelmann
as Knut Haugland

Herman Watzinger

Gustaf Skarsgård

Erik Hesselberg

Knut Haugland

Torstein Raaby

Bengt Danielsson

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News & Interviews for Kon Tiki

Critics Consensus: Pain & Gain is Visceral But Uneven

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Critic Reviews for Kon Tiki

All Critics (78) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (15)

The wacky, amateurish derring-do of the six-man crew, led by the lanky, floppy haired Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen as the ethnographer Heyerdahl, is astounding.

Dec 19, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Kate Muir
Times (UK)
Top Critic
Enjoyable but not as exciting as it should be.

Dec 19, 2014 | Rating: 3/5

Sophie Monks Kaufman
Little White Lies
Top Critic
It's intrinsically rousing stuff, although the journey is a little low on drama apart from the odd shark attack and a bit of bickering between Heyerdahl and his virtually indistinguishable crew of blond men with beards.

Dec 18, 2014 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Leslie Felperin
Guardian
Top Critic
Kon-Tiki is a widescreen man-against-nature epic, beautifully shot and boasting seamless, stunning visual effects.

May 17, 2013 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic
"Kon-Tiki" is awesome in the true sense of the word: You sit in awe of the bravery, audacity, stupidity and natural power on display. Ah, to imagine and dream. And to go forth.

May 17, 2013 | Rating: A | Full Review…

Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic
How much is fiction and how much is deliberate confusion?

May 16, 2013 | Rating: 3/4

John Hartl
Seattle Times
Top Critic
It's a well-made film, but ultimately a forgettable one.

Jun 28, 2019 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Full Review…

C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
Kon-Tiki lives up to the expectation of this rare pedigree.

May 31, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Bertie Archer
One Room With A View
In only ever managing to skim the surface, the spirit of their crusade is never really evoked. What's left is ultimately a handsome, and at times heart-stopping voyage that never lives up to its classic forebears.

Apr 3, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Ben Nicholson
CineVue
The film does excellent work captivating the audience with nothing but five men on open waters. It manages to express and capture enough variety to leave the audience wanting for nothing when they leave the theatre.

Oct 23, 2018 | Full Review…

Sarah Gopaul
Digital Journal
Amid all the fun, shark fights and unquestionable natural beauty, ultimately this is a film about self-belief and a yearning to get back to basics, so its message still rings true, and chimes with inspiration.

Oct 30, 2017 | Full Review…

Jason Solomons
The Mail on Sunday (UK)
Kon-Tiki sinks itself well before its journey is finished.

Oct 3, 2017 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Derek Smith
Tiny Mix Tapes

View All Critic Reviews (78)

Audience Reviews for Kon Tiki

Mar 27, 2016

Beautifully filmed adventure movie about Heyerdahl and his crew crossing the pacific on a raft after WW2. While the enterprise itself goes relatively smoothly there is a wonderfully terrifying shark attack in the middle of the film that's worth the movie already. Especially the camera work and direction are excellent, the script could have used some refining here or there. Heyerdahl is portrayed as oddly arrogant protagonist. Still, a nice film. No wonder the directors are now moving on to Pirates of the Caribbean. Great choice.

Jens S Super Reviewer
Feb 07, 2016

After the eponymous expedition of Thor Heyerdahl over the Pacific to prove the then theory that the first to populate Polynesia were from South America, Kon-Tiki (2012, Norway) is a grand historical production of mesmerizing thrilling beauty and dangers of the ocean. With perfect blue cinematography and stylized dramatization, Kon-Tiki satisfies the human curiosity for knowledge and adventure. Ambitious 10!

Jan Marc M Super Reviewer
Dec 01, 2015

Great (and true) adventure, mixed with some beautiful photography.

Marcus W Super Reviewer
Aug 24, 2015

In "Kon-Tiki," Thor Heyerdahl(Pal Sverre Hagen), an ethnographer, is vacationing with his wife Liv(Agnes Kittelsen) in the South Pacific when he has a brainstorm. Basically, it concerns the fact that the Polynesians must have emigrated from South America, not the other way around which is the currently held wisdom in 1947. The challenge as far as Heyerdahl is concerned is proving it. Which involves building a boat identical to the ones the Polynesians would have traveled in at the time of their voyage. That's easier said than done, as he when he tries to raise funds in New York City at the National Geographic where they are tempted to refer him to Bellevue Hospital. Luckily, he meets Herman Watzinger(Anders Baasmo Christiansen), an engineer, who shows him the error of his ways. With a judicious use of CGI, "Kon-Tiki" is a great looking dramatization of the famed ocean voyage. The problem lies in the movie's length. It's not that the movie is too long; rather for once it is not long enough.(The running time on the DVD I watched was one hour, thirty-eight minutes, 20 minutes shorter than the theatrical running time.) So, while the movie focuses on the bigger, more suspenseful moments(nothing against sharks, by the way), it otherwise feels rushed. Instead, the pace should have been leisurely, allowing the story to take its time to unfold in detailing this epic voyage which does not really feel epic here.

Walter M Super Reviewer