There has been a lot of rumblings in some ambitious Norwegian productions in recent years. In addition to the catastrophe scenario in “The Wave” (2015), which was widely received internationally due to its fjord landscape and solid CGI effects and largely appreciated by audiences and critics, “The Tunnel” (2019) caused a great stir. The plot of director Pål Øie’s also rock-solid film had some clear parallels to Sylvester Stallone’s work in “Daylight” (1996), but it made for an exciting rescue operation.
After the fantasy action “Troll”, which has been viewed over 100 million times on Netflix, and the sequel “Troll 2” by his colleague Roar Uthaug, Øie is now daring to create a creature feature with a deeply Scandinavian mythical figure. After all, it was the Bishop of Bergen who first wrote down a legend about a giant octopus in the middle of the 18th century. “Kraken – Awakening of the Deep” is largely exciting, but it wastes a lot of its potential with very woodcut-like characters and a dull plot.
The picturesque landscape photos are deceptive: a monstrous danger lurks beneath the surface of the water!
After the disappearance of two jet ski tourists and numerous fish that literally jumped ashore from the Sognefjord, the marine biologist Johanne (already in “Troll 2”: Sara Khorami) is ordered to inspect a salmon farm where her ex-boyfriend Erik (Mikkel Bratt Silset) also works. The station works with technology that uses sound waves of a certain frequency to kill unwanted salmon lice, while the food fish are not harmed in any way and can thrive. However, it soon turns out that the system was deliberately miscalibrated by owner Avaldsnes (Øyvind Brandtzæg) in order to attract Japanese investors for expansion. It’s just stupid that the signal also frees a huge octopus from parasites that feels extremely annoyed by people…
Halfway through there is finally the promised monster action
Aerial shots of a picturesque fjord landscape that awaken wanderlust – and then suddenly: a slight, elongated discoloration of the water surface, which already caused chills in Steven Spielberg’s classic “Jaws” (1975). “Kraken: Awakens of the Deep” doesn’t need much in the first half hour to build up a lot of suggestive tension and create high expectations for tentacle monster action.
This actually becomes apparent after a little more than half the running time, when the giant squid with its convincingly tricked-out tentacles (a mixture of slimy, slippery practical and CGI effects) penetrates into the furthest corners of the breeding station made out of warship parts in search of its prey. Memories of “Aliens” (1986) are awakened at the latest when the crawling parasites with their sharp teeth on the underside start to attack. As with Ellen Ripley’s encounter with the alien queen, there is a moment in which Johanne and the monstrous octopus come face to face – even if, with all due respect, it is a bit silly.
The monster action is fun – but the human fates keep slowing down the film unnecessarily.
The 20-minute monster action makes up for a fairly surprise-free plot about Johannes’ rather slow gains in knowledge during her comprehensive sample analyses, a subplot about squabbling young environmental activists and the interchangeable victims of the monster octopus. The latter includes a fearful kayaker who likes to eat the monster when she tries to do an Eskimo roll.
While the dramaturgy can still be seen as functional, the cliché characters, which remain one-dimensional, are downright disappointing – from the cold scientist to the obese computer nerd with a penchant for Asian fast food to the greedy, unscrupulous businessman. The screenwriter trio tries to conceal this fact with an unnecessarily complex and outrageous network of relationships:
The irresponsible owner of the salmon farm is married to the local police chief, who regularly pulls the bodies out of the water. Their daughter Maria (Jenny Evensen) is an environmental activist and spreads the video on social media that made Johanne aware of the salmon farm in the first place. What’s piquant: Johanne was once Maria’s babysitter and used to develop the questionable technology with her ex-partner. Aha. It’s not believable, but it fits with a monstrous giant octopus, which – thanks to the ambiguous cliffhanger – may even be granted another appearance.
Conclusion: Pretty original locations in Norway and Finland and 20 minutes of fast-paced and solidly animated octopus action make up for a wooden script and flat characters.