The new Netflix original film Against the Ice has viewers feeling emotional, and they’re not trying to hide it. The movie is about an expedition to northern Greenland taken in 1909, and it puts its heroes into some shocking survival situations. Still, the overall reception of the move has not been universal acclaim.
Against the Ice is based on the true story of Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, and is adapted from his book Two Against the Ice which was not published until 2003. It is about his expedition to northern Greenland to explore and map the unforgiving arctic region and to search for the missing members of a previous expedition. It takes a harrowing turn when Mikkelsen and one of his crewmates are marooned in the frigid landscape for two full winters where both their lives and their sanity are threatened.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Against the Ice was adapted for the screen by actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – who also plays Mikkelsen – and writer Joe Derrick. It was directed by Peter Flinth and was released on Netflix on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. So far the movie has gotten mixed reviews, but none can deny its intense and gripping subject matter.
The movie also benefits from some A-list names and recognizability – particularly the combination of Coster-Waldau and Charles Dance. The two played Jaime Lannister and Tywin Lannister respectively on HBO’s Game of Thrones, so seeing them on screen together again is enough to make many fans tune in here. Dance plays Minister Neergaard, who helps to get Mikkelsen’s trip going.
Based on Netflix’s self-reported data, Against the Ice was watched by millions of people in its first two weeks online. However, not everyone who watched it was impressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 46 percent positive score among general audiences, and a slightly better 55 percent positive score among critics. The critical consensus reads: “Against the Ice isn’t the most original or exciting wilderness thriller, but viewers in search of man-versus-nature entertainment could easily do worse.”
Many critics noted that the fascination of the real-life story was the most interesting part of this movie, and they praised it for bringing that story into the public eye. In real life, Mikkelsen lived to be 91 years old and to become a national hero in Denmark. The Ejnar Mikkelsen mountain range in eastern Greenland is named after him to this day. Against the Ice is streaming now on Netflix.
