The Norwegian war drama Narvik, now streaming on Netflix, holds a rare 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes while chronicling the real-life Battles of Narvik during the Second World War.
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, the 2022 film depicts the legendary battles that unfolded between 9 April and 8 June 1940. The gruelling, high-stakes two-month winter siege of the Norwegian port town saw a vital artery of Adolf Hitler's military operation come under serious threat.
A Rare Perfect Rating
This pivotal moment in history is widely regarded as Hitler's first significant tactical defeat on the battlefield. One Rotten Tomatoes reviewer said: "'Narvik' is a superb war film, and from a perspective that international audiences rarely see."
They went on to say: "I am a military historian and have walked the battlefields of Narvik. The movie captures almost every significant action of the campaign. Some occur off screen or in the distance (such as the sinking of Norge and Eidsvold, and the British and German fleet actions) but all the pieces are there."
Human Impact and Cinematography
"The cinematography is stunning, and even with its great ambition to tell the full story, the movie still manages to include the very human impact of the battle on the Norwegian civilians. Highly recommended."
One IMDb reviewer added: "Great watch, don't listen to the haters." They went on to say: "There is nothing wrong with this movie. It was done well and follows a family doing their thing during an invasion during WW2, trying to do what they must to survive. The tension in the beginning is unreal if you allow yourself to get sucked in. Give it a chance, don't overthink it and I feel you will enjoy this film."
Audience Reception
"I love the WW2 theme, and there are many stories to be told. If this could be one of many, I would love to see a series just like this, where, they have mini-series of different stories. This would be an awesome idea for a TV series."
"As for negatives, it is probably a translation type issue, but I'd say, the relationships between the characters could have been slightly better. Everything is sort of robotic how everyone acts, perhaps this is partly do to the circumstances but in other films, if you're with your 'brothers' you would be discussing things a little more."
"And that was lacking. But the theme was still there, just not shown in an emotional way like I have seen in other movies. But aside from that, I really didn't have a problem with it to be honest. I love foreign films personally, and like the difference they present, and I felt that here."
Narvik is currently available to watch on Netflix.
