Valhalla Rising hadde nylig verdenspremiere under filmfestivalen i Venezia, og anmeldelsene til de store bransjebladene Variety og Screen er ikke positive.

Variety:

«A one-trick pony that rapidly wears out the considerable welcome of its first reel, «Valhalla Rising» is a grunge-and-gore Viking movie that, like its characters, spends most of its time going round in circles. Hopes that Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn would translate his passion for myth into a Viking epic worthy of the name are dashed by a script that’s virtually devoid of plot and character development; the helmer’s rep (the «Pusher» trilogy, «Bronson») will nudge the pic along the fest circuit, but most auds will find it a one-note turnoff, signaling B.O. more Nibelheim than Valhalla.» Les resten av anmeldelsen her.

Screen:

«Valhalla offers plenty to look at – although the shots tend towards the numbingly repetitive – but the images only decorate a hollow screenplay. The dialogue, scant though it is, is complete cod. So carefully and often languorously framed it veers towards the art installation (Winding Refn has always been engrossed by the violent collision between art and violence), Valhalla is interesting but frustratingly under-developed. Still, with Winding Refn and Mikkelson in the titles, it should attract an urban, late-night cult crowd before perhaps doing its best business on DVD.» Les resten av anmeldelsen her.