“Viking Wolf”

Movie Review

In 2022, Stig Svendsen directed Viking Wolf, released in 2022, is a Norwegian horror and thriller starring Liv Mjones, Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne, Arthur Hakalahti, and Sjur Vatne Brean. The movie's plot is as follows: In 1050, a Viking raiding party in Normandy finds a wolf cub hidden behind a closed door that they mistakenly thought contained valuables. The vikings transport the cub to Norway as atonement for the missing gold and silver. All of the Vikings had been slain by the wolf by the time the ship reaches the Norwegian coast, and it has fled into the woods there.

In the meanwhile, 17-year-old Thale and her family have recently moved into their new house in the modern Norwegian town of Nybo after Thale's father passed away and her mother Liv switched from her previous position as a police officer in Oslo to the local Nybo police force. Thale and her stepfather Arthur don't get along, and she holds her mother largely responsible for her father's passing. Her deaf younger sister Jenny is the one person she still cares deeply about and is close to. Thale receives a text from her high school classmate Jonas inviting her to a party in the woods next to the bay with the other Nybo kids while they are both watching a horror movie. When Thale notices Jonas conversing with Elin, the daughter of the town mayor, in the woods by the bay, she chooses to leave the party early because things aren't going well there. Elin is hurt when she is assaulted by a shadowy thing when they are having a conversation. Jonas retreats in horror while Thale tries to save Elin, but she ends up getting hurt as the beast slashes her shoulder. The neighborhood police and paramedics arrive on the scene as Elin is being pulled hysterically into the woods. The police, including Thale's mother Liv and police chief Eilert, hunt for Elin while Jonas and Thale are receiving medical attention, but all they discover is a bloody phone and a large claw that has been severed.

The police interrogate everyone who attended the party the next day, including Jonas and Thale who are crucial eyewitnesses, but they deny knowing what sort of animal attacked the group despite Liv's hunch that it may have been a wolf. Elin's dismembered body is discovered in the meantime and is examined through an autopsy. The assault was carried out by a large animal, according to the autopsy, although it was impossible to tell whether the animal was a wolf or not. In order to be certain, William, a specialist from the veterinary faculty, is consulted by the police department. But before he can get there, a strange one-armed guy named Lars shows up at the police station and tells Liv that the monster is a werewolf that he's been pursuing all his life across Scandinavia. Before dismissing the man, Liv declares that she doesn't believe him and labels his accusations as disrespectful toward the victim and her family. The stranger gives her a silver bullet before departing, warning her that it is the only thing that will kill the beast. The victim's mother and the mayor of NyboTove swear revenge against the beast and dispatch a hunting party to kill it after the vet's arrival and his determination that the homicidal beast could definitely be an abnormally huge wolf based on the victim's injuries and a claw discovered on the site.

Thale continues to have unusual dreams and visions as her senses also appear to be sharpening as the hunting group led by Liv and Eilert searches the woods with the assistance of a tracking dog. The hunting group discovers a decapitated body in the interim and decides it was the beast's doing. As she and the rest of the group go on, following their tracking dog, Liv gives the order to two hunters to remain behind and protect the body. The gang is directed to an abandoned mine, where Liv enters and climbs down to discover the body's missing head.

The two hunters who were left behind beside the corpse are attacked by the beast at the same time, killing them both. The gang hears their screams, but the beast gets them before they can respond, killing two more hunters and critically injuring Eilert. Liv discovers the beast—now known to be a wolf—at the top of the ladder as she is making her way out of the mine. She is attacked by the wolf, who causes her to fall down the mineshaft and break her wrist. As she retreats as the wolf pursues her, Liv grabs her rifle and shoots the animal, striking it many times but to no avail. Before recalling the silver bullet Lars had given her, Liv finds herself defenseless and at the wolf's mercy. Just as the wolf is about to attack her, she puts it into her rifle and pulls the trigger.

When Liv and Eilert arrive at the hospital, Liv receives a cast for her wrist, and it is discovered that Eilert is unconscious. William examines the wolf's body and tells Liv that despite striking the wolf's heart and lungs, the lead bullets she used to strike it had no effect on it at all. Liv was certain they had indeed seen a werewolf when it was later found that the wolf's lone mortal wound had come from the silver bullet she had fired. Mayor Tove and Liv make a public announcement together, proclaiming that the horror is now ended and assuring the safety of the city with the death of the beast. While all is going on, Thale continues to have unusual events and feels regret for not being able to help Elin. In the middle of the night, she gets a text from Jonas requesting her to share a perspective with him. When the beast is killed, from this perspective, Jonas and Thale are prepared to move on from their encounter with it. They even share a kiss before being stopped by a call from Jonas' father. The full moon changes Thale into a more ferocious version of herself when she is on the phone, giving her sharp fangs and animal instincts. She loses control and kills Jonas before she has a chance to warn him.

The coroner comes to the conclusion that Jonas' injuries were caused by a smaller animal than Elin after finding his body. Following her finding, Liv visits Lars, who informs her that once a human has been turned into a wolf, they lose all humanity and develop a hunger for human blood, and that the only way to break the curse is to exterminate the whole werewolf bloodline. When Lars returns to the hospital, he finds Eilert has been infected by the beast and turns off the machinery keeping him alive before leaving. When Thale discovers what she has done when she wakes up in a shed next to her home, she resolves to take a night bus to Oslo and flee. As the bus approaches a tunnel, the full moon emerges from behind the clouds while Thale is still on board and changes into a full wolf. The bus crashes into the tunnel as Thale assaults the other passengers. First on the site, Liv discovers the bus crash survivors, who inform her that a wolf attacked them. The wolf has already fled, leaving the carnage behind as Liv approaches the bus. Liv discovers her daughter's damaged clothing and jewelry while searching. William shows up at the site at the same moment and informs Liv that after analyzing the wolf's body, he discovered that it had human DNA, proving they were dealing with a real werewolf. Liv is persuaded by this that her daughter has turned into the next werewolf.

When Thale comes home in her completely altered state, she approaches her deaf sister Jenny and lunges at her just as Jenny recognizes her. The two do, however, identify one another, mostly as a result of Thale's heterochromia, which calms Thale down. After coming across the situation and fending off Thale with a lamp, their stepfather Arthur rushes to the city center while chasing after Jenny in his van. They crash on a bridge next to a busy bar because Arthur, who has a wound, is bleeding severely and falls asleep behind the wheel. Just as the throng gathers around the wrecked vehicle to aid the couple, he signals to Jenny to flee. This also happens to be the moment that Thale shows up. Before Liv and William arrive, Thale begins a murderous rampage and assaults several individuals in the area of the tavern. Before William shoots Thale with a tranquilizer dart, Jenny tries to calm her sister down, which initially seems to be successful. Jenny is grabbed by Liv, and the three of them rush into an unfinished shop. Liv tells Jenny to hide behind the counter as they battle to keep Thale out. Lars then drives up in his RV and rams through the storefront in an effort to strike Thale. Following the collision, Liv, William, and Lars are all hurt, and an undamaged Thale enters the store, murdering Lars and assaulting Liv. Liv commands a hurt William to shoot Thale with another tranquilizer dart as Thale bites down on her arm while using her wrist cast to deter him. William was unable to comply with the order, so Jenny took the dart and stabbed it into her sister's side to stop the assault.

While still unconscious, Thale is held at the veterinary clinic. When Liv comes to see her, Thale loses control and turns her head away. Liv puts a silver bullet into her revolver and places it on Thale's neck. When Liv gets home, she places the silver bullet on her bedside next to a photo of Thale.

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