Adventure films now seem to only be CGI blockbusters, but it used to be about real world exploration. They were exciting films shot outside their production countries that showcased beloved actors in new worlds for their domestic audiences, however they became understandably passé due to growing critique of colonization. Kon-Tiki brings back that classic style through recreating the titular voyage. It’s a pretty exciting one, even though it’s not fully accurate and sometimes predictable. There’s an old-timey feel in the direction, but the film thankfully sidesteps some of the issues the genre has faced by focusing on their time at sea, rather than use Polynesia as just an exotic background. Kon-Tiki is a fun adventure that brings back world exploration to today’s cinema.
"Enjoyable but not as exciting as it should be."
— Sophie Monks Kaufman
"A visually impeccable, professionally crafted modern vessel that lacks any of the patched-together soul of its subject."
— Andrew Barker
The true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.
1947. Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl formulated a theory that people from South America settled in the South Sea Islands, despite popular belief. To do this, Heyerdahl hopes to prove his theory in real life, setting sail to the islands on only a wood raft.
The voyage itself was true, but the scene with the steel cables is apparently not accurate, since every crew member reportedly made it home safe. Also, Heyerdahl’s overall Eastern origin of Polynesian theory has been mostly rejected by the scientific community, but Kon-tiki’s research proved how Polynesians and Native Americans might have made contact before Christopher Columbus.
Adventure is really out there, huh?
Oscars
1 nomination
Golden Globes
1 nomination
European Film Awards
1 nomination
