Director Roar Uthaug (2018’s ‘Tomb Raider’) takes the age-old mega-monster movie and breathes some new life into it with this surprising cinematic treat, straight from Norway. We’ve heard the story a zillion times before (monster threatens major metro area, military mobilizes, overlooked scientist winds up saving the day), but there’s more at play here—including the phenomenal score, visual effects, and cinematography—to make this a bona fide fun and very worthwhile experience. Just do yourself a favor and watch the original subtitled version instead of the melodramatic, poorly dubbed option; it makes a huge difference.
4/5 stars