--- title: "Arctic: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/arctic/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/arctic" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Arctic (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 18 reviews: 13 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find Arctic a gripping, stripped-down survival drama, with praise centred on Mads Mikkelsen’s nearly wordless performance. His physical commitment, expressive restraint and warmth keep the stranded man’s ordeal involving even for reviewers who find the story familiar. The favourable reviews also value the practical detail of survival, the harsh Arctic settings and a largely unsentimental approach. Several find genuine feeling in the film’s treatment of endurance and care for another person. The disagreement concerns how long that minimalism sustains interest. Slow patches, repetition and predictable challenges recur among the reservations, while some otherwise positive reviews find the film excessively bleak or restrained. The spread is wide despite the positive majority: The Hollywood Reporter finds a repetitive grind with insufficient suspense, though it admires Mikkelsen and the cinematography. The New Yorker is less persuaded still, finding the genre treatment stale and the survival challenges increasingly absurd. ## Los Angeles Times — Gary Goldstein Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2019. Goldstein finds the survival drama stirring and masterful, with its minimal approach drawing viewers into the protagonist’s ordeal. He particularly praises Mads Mikkelsen’s warm, tenacious performance and the film’s quietly enveloping direction. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-arctic-review-20190130-story.html) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 11 May 2018. Festival review. Ehrlich praises the film as a compelling, humane survival story that makes endurance feel distinct from survival. He singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s nearly wordless, career-best performance and the film’s grounded, logically constructed drama. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/arctic-review-mads-mikkelsen-cannes-2018-1201963066/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critic's Pick. 11 May 2018. Festival review. Gleiberman finds the film compelling and moving, praising its unsentimental, nuts-and-bolts approach to survival. He particularly singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s restrained, absorbing performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/arctic-review-mads-mikkelsen-1202806708/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 4/5. Aspinall describes the survival adventure as gruelling but gripping. He praises its minimalist approach and the tension of its harsh Arctic ordeal. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-oiokrq/arctic/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 1 May 2019. Rothkopf finds the survival film dramatically compelling, praising Mads Mikkelsen’s performance. He singles out Mikkelsen’s charisma as the backbone of the snowbound story. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/arctic) ## The Guardian — Gwilym Mumford Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic calls the film a gripping, assured survival thriller, though it only becomes absorbing once its lead is pushed out of his routine. Mads Mikkelsen’s intensely committed performance is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/11/arctic-review-mads-mikkelsen-cannes-2018) ## Total Film — Jordan Farley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2018. Festival review. Farley finds the film familiar and at times overly despairing, but says it is well worth seeking out. He singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s intensely committed performance and the film’s stark, visually ambitious depiction of the Arctic. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/cannes-2018-mads-mikkelsen-stuns-in-snowbound-survival-movie-arctic/) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2018. Festival review. The available text presents the film as a gripping survival drama. It singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s downed-airman struggle in the tundra, but the full review is inaccessible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/arctic-cannes-review/5129199.article) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2019. Edelstein finds Arctic grim and excruciating but ultimately enjoyable, saying he liked it a lot. He praises the stunning Arctic settings and Mads Mikkelsen’s compelling screen presence. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/movie-review-arctic.html) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2019. The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/movies/arctic-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Rating 2.5/4. 31 January 2019. The review finds the film effective and spare, though occasionally repetitive and weighed down by its score. It praises the stark realism and raw immediacy created by the film’s stripped-down approach. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-arctic-is-an-effectively-spare-survival-drama/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2018. Festival review. The critic finds the survival drama a slow, repetitive grind that struggles to sustain suspense. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s compelling performance and the film’s crisp, persuasive cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/arctic-cannes-2018-1111021/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a stale and overly earnest entry in the lone-survivor genre. They single out the inventive fishing rig as more engaging than the increasingly absurd survival challenges. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/arctic) ## The Skinny — Gianni Marini Rating ★★★★. 6 March 2019. Festival review. Marini finds the film an accomplished, moving survival story, though its straight-ahead approach can feel overly restrained. He particularly praises Mads Mikkelsen’s expressive performance, which conveys the character’s pain and humanity with almost no dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/arctic-mads-mikkelsen) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2019. The critic finds the survival thriller familiar in concept but bracingly executed, and praises Joe Penna’s thoughtful, visceral craft. Mads Mikkelsen’s physically demanding performance and the film’s quietly moving portrayal of altruism stand out. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/arctic-film-review-mads-mikkelsen/) ## Collider — Gregory Ellwood Rating B-. 11 May 2018. Festival review. Ellwood finds the film compelling but flawed, with its journey feeling more arduous than its ending justifies. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s layered performance, which carries the sparsely characterized story. [Read the review](https://collider.com/arctic-review-mads-mikkelsen/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2019. Kermode finds the film highly watchable, despite slow patches and predictable story beats. She singles out Mads Mikkelsen’s performance for keeping the audience invested in the stranded man’s struggle. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/arctic-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Rating C+. 17 May 2018. Festival review. Ruimy finds the film admirable but stagnant, with its minimalism failing to distinguish it from stronger survival dramas. He praises Mads Mikkelsen’s expressive silent performance, while faulting the film’s slow pacing and late-arriving thrills. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/mads-mikkelsen-artic-cannes-review-20180517/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/arctic.md