“Kraken” (2026) is an old-fashioned creature feature set in Sognefjord, Norway. Johanne (Sara Khorami) works at the Institute of Marine Research and is abruptly dispatched to go to Vangnes to see whether a salmon farm needs to be shut down. Joanne has history with the location and the corporation because she helped create a sonic de-licing module that keeps salmon clear of a parasite, but the device seems to have attracted one large customer interested in a spa day complete with snacks. Can the people and the ecosystem be saved? With more deliberate pacing than necessary, it is still a standard, entertaining monster movie with a few imaginative surprises.
“Kraken” features an ensemble cast, and while the characters are not exactly memorable, they are distinct archetypes that feel more like people than cardboard cutouts thanks to the actors. If Johanne has a superpower, it is her ability to stay calm and be still. Iranian Norwegian actor Khorami does not look like Barbie scientist, but brings gravitas to a role that is probably as academically rigorous as Dr. Pepper, but who watches a monster movie to get educated, right? Johannes used to have a personal and professional relationship with Erik (Mikkel Bratt Silset, who has certain common features with Milo Ventimiglia), who still works for the sketchy but successful Avaldsnes (Øyvind Brandtzæg), but Erik believes that they made the tech work and are doing good. Does anyone have a bridge that they would like to sell to Erik? Avaldsnes is married to a cop who keeps the place safe for revelers who enjoy the recreational activities available around the fjord. Their daughter, Maria (Jenny Evensen), works with two friends, the nondescript Cato (Steinar Klouman Hallert) and obnoxiously committed Hallvard (Filip Bargee Ramberg), to work on getting her dad’s salmon farm shut down. Georg (Jon Erik Myre), one of her dad’s employees, has zero reservations about the consequences of their de-licing module. Olav (Hans Morten Hansen) is an underutilized character who witnessed a similar cryptid sighting when he was a child and also wants the farm shut down.
How is the Kraken? Cracking good! Dad joke! Your groans make me powerful. The Kraken is fun, and instead of beating a dead horse with most of the action taking place underwater, it becomes a tentacle horror with the Kraken reaching around a structure like a kid looking for the last bits of potato chips at the bottom of the bag. There are moments that remain rated G but evoke the other side of tentacle enthusiasts. If the kraken survived the end of the movie, it would definitely have to report to HR about unwanted touching. There is a “King Kong” vibe to the proceedings with it choosing to be more curious than peck-ish over its women captives. Also, there is some unexpected nastiness that herald the Kraken’s coming, and it is as fear inducing as the giant squid. Vagina dentata fears, anyone? In some ways it is worse because of how much more accessible it is. Director Pål Øie does not reinvent the wheel and mostly sticks to the golden oldies of water terror, but the above ground stalking is top notch and creative. He deserves credit for not immediately borrowing overt fistful of references to the “Alien” franchise. The key to any creature feature is to feel no compunction about killing the creature, and the film steers clear of that without abandoning the idea that it is sentient.
Creature features are very similar to disaster films because both genres have the goal of reuniting families or sealing the deal with couples. Of course, “Kraken” is a Norwegian film so the concept of bringing people together could deviate a bit from the American version. The family needs to come together and heal the generational and ethical divide. The couple need to reconcile on some level. On the other hand, fairly early in the mayhem, it does feel as if anyone could bite the dust before the movie punks out and starts to lose rhyme and reason about the rules of survival. There is a glimmer of morality in who dies, but it does not fall along political lines, but societal lines, i.e. who acts surreptitiously on either side instead of openly. They get the least noble deaths. Norway did not get the memo that all the people of color cannot die. Baby steps. They are still lapping most filmmakers and television series for having more diversity than the average film or show set in Manhattan, but it does not mean a pass. On a happier note, Norwegian films appear to be the only ones that do not frame environmentalists as eco terrorists, but ordinary citizens trying to defend the beauty of their country.
Two thirds of “Kraken” is just straight up tourism porn. The area is verging on ethereal with aquamarine water, verdant surrounding land and clear skies. When the climactic attack begins, it randomly turns dark. Sure, ok. Is this the part that was shot on a sound stage? It does not matter. It is fine. It is not the kind of movie that is going for realism. Also considering that a lot of tourists bite the dust, normally off screen, the film counterbalances any desire to invite home viewers to witness the glory of the area with their own eyes. In one too short scene, there is an underwater dining experience, which of course ends badly. The film definitely has a bite to it and suggests that tourists need to stop treating nature like a playground and show some respect. Was it a deliberate choice to constantly play snippets of contemporary music?
Cowriters Vilde Eide, Kjersti Helen Rasmussen and Natasha Arthur along with story credits to Øie and Sjur Aarthun make a big deal about a previous sighting of the creature using seemingly authentic archival footage that feels reminiscent of people talking about the Loch Ness Monster on the nightly local news while simultaneously trying to deliver a message about the danger of exploiting nature for profit. If the creature appeared before, is it really the scuzzy business interests’ fault or just time for a periodic visit? Obviously, it is the prior, but the filmmakers seem content with evoking, but not necessarily thoroughly following through on all its concepts. The footage is there for atmosphere.
If you are coming to “Kraken” expecting nonstop action and top shelf quality with a B movie premise, think again. It is a slow burn film operating on a budget that does not treat the titular horror as a foregone conclusion but builds its way up to putting the titan on center stage then stays there. The practical effects are solid and genius. It would have been more fun to see it on the big screen, but it translates well to a smaller screen, especially the nighttime shots, which is when most films, even those with major studio financing, runs into trouble. It is an entertaining flick that will likely evaporate from your mind once the credits roll.
