Valhalla is but a mere shadow of everything it could have been. I'm not even sure where to start describing how this movie failed so I'll start with the few positives. There is some mid-tier to good production design here, especially in the hall of the gods itself, I like the look of the rainbow bridge Bifröst and there's the occassional nice vista.
However it's not enough to save the film which is lacking in every other aspect. First and foremost the acting is almost uniformly awful, especially from the child actors that are just wet blankets. I'm not sure whether to blame the actors or the director here, especially with the main girl playing Røskva. It's painfully obvious how much of her scenes were shot second unit, on green screen or much later, completely unrelated to whatever she was supposed to be reacting to at the moment. The other actors fair a smidgen better but not by much. Generally the acting has a strangely robotic quality. The constant use of close-ups and inappropriate shaky hand-held camera work makes the film a visual mess without any noticeable style which isn't helped by the terrible editing and continuity. The music is peak mediocrity. It reaches such a depth of forgettability that it becomes noticeable again as oppressively dull.
Everything about this film is just so awkward, dull and off. I was shocked to find out the director had made films prior to this, because it feels like you're watching the work of a first time or student director. This had the promising ingredients of a fun 80s style fantasy film, but it doesn't even reach the quality level of an Albert Pyun schlockfest.
However it's not enough to save the film which is lacking in every other aspect. First and foremost the acting is almost uniformly awful, especially from the child actors that are just wet blankets. I'm not sure whether to blame the actors or the director here, especially with the main girl playing Røskva. It's painfully obvious how much of her scenes were shot second unit, on green screen or much later, completely unrelated to whatever she was supposed to be reacting to at the moment. The other actors fair a smidgen better but not by much. Generally the acting has a strangely robotic quality. The constant use of close-ups and inappropriate shaky hand-held camera work makes the film a visual mess without any noticeable style which isn't helped by the terrible editing and continuity. The music is peak mediocrity. It reaches such a depth of forgettability that it becomes noticeable again as oppressively dull.
Everything about this film is just so awkward, dull and off. I was shocked to find out the director had made films prior to this, because it feels like you're watching the work of a first time or student director. This had the promising ingredients of a fun 80s style fantasy film, but it doesn't even reach the quality level of an Albert Pyun schlockfest.