ENGLISH below

"Viking Wolf" ist seit ein paar Tagen auf Netflix verfügbar und ist angeblich der erste Werwolf-Film aus Norwegen. Ob das stimmt, weiß ich nicht.

Trotz des trashigen Titels handelt es sich bei "Viking Wolf" um einen eher ernsthaften Film, der wie ein typischer Krimi aus Skandinavien aussieht, aber mit einer guten Prise Werwolf verfeinert wurde. Wobei sich die Macher für ihr Wölfchen einen ganz eigenen Mythos ausgedacht haben, den sie uns auch in einem spektakulären Prolog präsentieren. Aber abgesehen davon ist der Film nicht sehr originell.

Ich habe schon den einen oder anderen Werwolf-Film gesehen, und dass Teenager verflucht werden, ist in diesem Genre nicht unbedingt etwas Neues. Ich wusste daher bei "Viking Wolf" eigentlich immer, was als…

I still stand by it: a werewolf movie isn't a true werewolf movie if it doesn't show you the transformation, be it through practical effects or CGI (looking at you straight into the eyes Werewolf By Night).

Viking Wolf is certified werewolf movie! The transformation was great, a mix of both practical effects and CGI. The CGI actually looks good (for the wolf at least) and I like the design it looks cool and threatning. We get a surprising amount of scenes with the wolf, all of which are thrilling. I wish it showed more of the kills though, the camera tends to cut away from them. There's also lots of backstory about the Norwegian werewolf mythology which I found…

Viking Wolf gets off to a decent start, with a pre-credits intro focusing on Vikings plundering Norway and unwittingly bringing a werewolf back to their homeland. The sins of the past, and all that. We then cut forward a thousand years into the future to a party where a bunch of teens are attacked by a wolf, with one survivor predictably taking on the curse. The narrative is then split between the victim changing into a wolf and the investigation into the initial killing. The link between the two being that the mother of the victim is a police officer. The problem is that the investigation aspect is rendered redundant by the fact that everyone watching this knows that it…

“That’s what we…you are chasing. It’s a warg. Wolf. A werewolf.” - Lars

As Viking Wolf unfolds, a mysterious man provides a few intriguing anecdotes to share about lycanthrope mythology and how it ties to the plot. It’s quite common for werewolf-related material to refer to some type of ancient curse and the ages-old assurance about a specific contender who transforms when the moon is full and the timing is right. But, in this instance, he talks about a “poison,” an “infection that must be stopped before it spreads.” Though this film does not in itself explore and exploit this perspective, it still adds a few intriguing details to its own spin on the typical chain of werewolf facts. It’s an…

Nothing to see here. A Nordic werewolf movie that came to Netflix this weekend, that kicks off with a totally metal origin story about the beast (tell me there's not already a glam-metal band called Viking Wolf), but then melts into the dullest cliches of this territory: protagonist gets bit, transferring the virus, they get rid of the former wolf (so much for Viking Wolf! Unless we're meant to infer that its barbarian warrior essence goes from person to person, but that's never really addressed), protagonist struggles with the pain and confusion of this sickness for most of the middle act, people start dying in quick-cut instances, family finally has a violent extended showdown with wolfed-out protagonist, end of movie.…