I'm an unusual demographic for this film - I chose to watch it on Amazon Prime because I wanted to see Iceland and hear its ancient language, which I've been trying to learn.
A busy schedule meant I had to order "Operation" a second time, and, when I did, it disappointingly came up dubbed, which didn't suit my purposes at all. So I couldn't see it through to its conclusion. But what I did see, I liked.
The saga begins on Vatnajökull, that enormous glacier claiming eight percent of Iceland's territory. The movie takes us by surprise from the start, particularly with Adesuwa Oni as a seemingly stereotypical, bubbly American till her true character jumps out.
The movie's early sequences aren't exactly plausible. It's intriguing that some snowmobilers stumble upon a Nazi aircraft unearthed by global warming. But how likely is it that sportsmen are gonna drop everything to dig a plane out of rock-solid ice? Or that a team of US-government snipers is gonna touch down to shoot at everyone in sight? I thought Iceland had sovereignty!
Next we're on to the streets of Reykjavik, which I so enjoy visiting each winter (at least till COVID stalled my adventures). Vivian Olafsdottir is wonderful as a lawyer who gets sucked into the mysterious cabal, and I enjoyed watching her efforts to elude an armed goon. One place she darts into is glittery Kringlan mall, a place I like to go to as well.
That's about where I stopped watching. I was intrigued enough by what I saw that I'll try the film a third time, and, ideally, hear Icelandic again. It strikes me as an archaic version of English, and I like trying to understand even the smallest bits of conversation. (English subtitles are indispensible, but I'd love access to the Icelandic ones as well.)
By the way, Vivian's brother in this film evinces a delightful sense of humor. Love that message on his voicemail, something like, "Don't leave a message. Put it on a floppy, and send it through the mail."
Yep, Iceland's elemental geography takes us back to Mother Nature and the essentials in life. Can't wait to make it back to the Land of Fire and Ice...
A busy schedule meant I had to order "Operation" a second time, and, when I did, it disappointingly came up dubbed, which didn't suit my purposes at all. So I couldn't see it through to its conclusion. But what I did see, I liked.
The saga begins on Vatnajökull, that enormous glacier claiming eight percent of Iceland's territory. The movie takes us by surprise from the start, particularly with Adesuwa Oni as a seemingly stereotypical, bubbly American till her true character jumps out.
The movie's early sequences aren't exactly plausible. It's intriguing that some snowmobilers stumble upon a Nazi aircraft unearthed by global warming. But how likely is it that sportsmen are gonna drop everything to dig a plane out of rock-solid ice? Or that a team of US-government snipers is gonna touch down to shoot at everyone in sight? I thought Iceland had sovereignty!
Next we're on to the streets of Reykjavik, which I so enjoy visiting each winter (at least till COVID stalled my adventures). Vivian Olafsdottir is wonderful as a lawyer who gets sucked into the mysterious cabal, and I enjoyed watching her efforts to elude an armed goon. One place she darts into is glittery Kringlan mall, a place I like to go to as well.
That's about where I stopped watching. I was intrigued enough by what I saw that I'll try the film a third time, and, ideally, hear Icelandic again. It strikes me as an archaic version of English, and I like trying to understand even the smallest bits of conversation. (English subtitles are indispensible, but I'd love access to the Icelandic ones as well.)
By the way, Vivian's brother in this film evinces a delightful sense of humor. Love that message on his voicemail, something like, "Don't leave a message. Put it on a floppy, and send it through the mail."
Yep, Iceland's elemental geography takes us back to Mother Nature and the essentials in life. Can't wait to make it back to the Land of Fire and Ice...