Wrath of Gods (2006) User Reviews

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse in Iceland

[se7en187 · 9/10 · 11 June 2007]

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

The documentary is about the filming of Beowulf and Grendel starring Gerard Butler and Stelland Skarsgard. Jon Gustafsson, the director of the documentary, had a minor role in the film and spent many days on the set doing nothing, so he decided to take a camera and start shooting the production. Filmed in Iceland, the production of Beowulf and Grendel faced many catastrophes. Constant budget problems and horrible weather conditions nearly every day made the fall production in 2004 unbearable.

It was very interesting to watch and see how determined Sturla Gunnarsson, the director of Beowulf and Grendel, was. He had to finish the film. I have yet to see the finished film, but now I must seek it out. Regardless of how the movie turns out to be (Gustafsson himself told me I might not be impressed) I will have a great respect for the film.

Gustafsson was the festival and was a cool guy. Someone asked him if the documentary made the production of the film look worse than it really was. He replied that when he showed it to a fellow member of the film Beowulf if he thought the documentary did that, the person said, "No, it's sugar-coated".

Absolutely worth watching

[Vashti · 8/10 · 10 May 2018]

As of this time, this is on Prime, and since I was on a bit of a Vikings/Norse/Scandinavian kick, I gave it a go. I'm so glad that I did.

I don't often find making-of-(movie-x) docs, because unless everything went insane, there's really not that much to see (or that you can't get in a director's commentary). This film shoot more than lived up to the 'insane' part. Every possible thing that could go wrong did go wrong. Literally, every. thing. In one scene, when they're almost, *almost*, done, a crew member says sarcastically "Well, at least we haven't had an earthquake or volcanic eruption." I thought to myself, oh god don't jinx yourself, but didn't _really_ believe it would. In the next scene (I can't recall, but it was a few days to a week later) the friggin volcano erupts. I sat there in compete disbelief. You couldn't write a script like this, everyone would scream about suspension of belief.

The director, Stula, is almost child-like in his optimism. At the end, the person filming this asks him if he thought the shoot went well. Sturla replies "Oh yes! We had a car accident and no one got hurt (and some other examples like fire, hurricane, etc)." He's completely serious. He says something like "What fun would it be if you filmed in a studio and everything went exactly as planned?" I can only imagine the reaction of every other single person involved when they saw/heard that. He's very lucky that the last disaster wasn't "director found dead; appears to have been pushed off the cliff by angry mob." That actually wouldn't have surprised me at all.

I guess the last bit of irony is that while the movie itself cost somewhere north of $16 million, the gross was under $100k. It sits at 5.1 on IMDB with 90% of the praise being "at least the scenery was incredible." Meanwhile this doc is at 7.9 and noted as having won 4 film festival awards.

Ok, a list of some of the various disasters: *First they way under estimated the cost of everything in Iceland. Having been there, it's insane (understandably; it's an island so the majority of goods are imported.

*The pre-production money was a month late. By which time the exchange rate of the kroner had increased 20%

*Because of the delay, they were shooting in the fall, not summer. Iceland is one of those countries which has a very dramatic seasonal shift, the least of which being they had 6 minutes less light daily

*They built a Viking long ship that turned out to be too wide to get across the bridge to the lagoon. When they *did* get across (with, according to some, about an inch to spare on either side) it leaked. To keep it afloat the crew rigged pumps, but those had to be hidden for filming. The cast was in a (quickly) sinking ship, with no life vests (they were sitting out of camera) in water so cold you can only survive in it about 5 minutes. While wearing full chain mail.

*Much of the filming was outside, on cliffs. That year Iceland had the worst windstorms in 60 years. It was hurricane force, to the point of upturn cars and blowing the roof off a nearby hotel. On the one night they were shooting 'with fog', there was absolutely no wind and they had to use fans with the smoke machine.

*They wanted to shoot a scene in the mead hall, because it was so windy it was blowing the beards off the actor's faces. The roads were icy so only the transport (I'm assuming heavier) vehicles could get up there. The first driver to try slid/was blown off the road and almost went off a cliff (not that it means more, but with 5 other people onboard)

*The second time they tried to film a scene I the hall due to weather, it caught on fire. It didn't completely burn down, but was seriously damaged (in addition to all the wind damage)

*Did I mention a freakin volcano erupted?!

There are actually MORE things I'm forgetting. It's mind-boggling that 1) no one died .. 2) most cast and crew didn't leave .. 3) that it exists at all. Blood sweat and tears doesn't come close. Bravo to all.

A Feast For The Senses - A MUST SEE!!!! Leave you breathless

[shoryski · 17 November 2006]

Hello,

I was most fortune to see the CBC Broadcast of Wrath on Nov 14 and I could not leave my seat, it just blew me away and left me wanting more. Jon has gone above and beyond the call of duty on this one and I must say Bravo to Jon and all involved. It will replay this Saturday and I plan to catch it again.

It gives a whole new dimension on the film Beowulf and after seeing Wrath you just have to watch Beowulf again.

The blood and sweat that went into this film is out of this world!!!

Dreams can become a reality and this documentary proves it proof positive.

Be prepared to be spell bound.

I just cannot say enough great things about Wrath!!!!

Alexandria

Unbelievable, Hilarious, Fantastic!!!!

[rwootn · 10/10 · 5 December 2006]

I saw the CBC broadcast of Wrath of Gods and it was absolutely fantastic. This documentary tells the behind scenes story of all that the cast and crew went through in the filming of Beowulf and Grendel. You had to see it to believe it. I enjoyed every last minute of Wrath of Gods and went from Oh No! to laughing out loud. It left me wanting to see the complete feature length version that is soon to be released on DVD. Jon Gustafsson is to be commended for capturing the filming of Beowulf and Grendel and turning that footage into a superb film all its own. Wrath of gods is a must see piece of entertainment bliss!!!!!!!!! Ruby

fabulous!

[sonogram · 10/10 · 22 February 2007]

Wrath of Gods is an amazing film. Even if you haven't seen Beowulf and Grendel you can't help but be awe struck by the tenacity and perseverance by cast and crew to get it filmed. Kudo's to Jon for documenting this Herculean effort and doing so in such an awesome and entertaining way. The performances by the cast in B&G were tremendous, especially considering the circumstances under which they were filming. The interviews in Wrath of Gods were great. I really enjoyed hearing the different actors discuss their roles. The hour long interview with Gerard Butler is terrific. I can't wait for Wrath of Gods to finally be available on DVD. It can't be soon enough for me!

ml

Wrath of Gods

[dorothy_gardner · 10/10 · 20 November 2006]

Great doc!!!! about the making of a GREAT MOVIE!!! Wrath of Gods is about the agonies the cast and crew had to endure during the making of Sturla Gunnarsson's wondrously magical film, 'Beowulf and Grendel, (and it does in no way compare to Lost in LaMancha Terry Gilliam's lost tale of Don Quixote).

Watching the movie, I could feel the icy rain and the northern wind during the movie and they are even more evident in Wrath.

As an actor and sometimes director myself, I could immediately relate to everything they were going through but can't image how they were able to endure and still produce such a wonderful, beautiful and thoroughly entertaining movie.

It's breathtakingly beautiful and Beowulf (Gerry Butler) and Selma (Sarah Polley) give wonderfully truthful and memorable performances.

If you haven't seen Sturla Gunnarrson's 'Beowulf and Grendel' don't walk but run to your local video store and buy a copy, otherwise you'll be kicking yourself as you'll need to see it again and again.

Oxford International Film Festival

[Pitt118 · 10/10 · 8 April 2007]

I attended the Oxford International Film Festival on Friday, April 6, 2007. It was a memorable experience. I so enjoyed Wrath of Gods and can't wait for the DVD. I knew nature had wreaked havoc during the filming of Beowulf & Grendel just from the B&G DVD but Jon showed us just how bad it really was. Jon did a fantastic job of film-making/narrating and his comments afterward were very informative. He is so personable. I had traveled to Canada from Michigan last year to see the movie Beowulf & Grendel....what a treat! When I heard that Wrath of Gods was being shown at the Oxford IFF....I had to go and it's a 6 hour drive from Michigan. I wasn't disappointed! Congratulations to all involved in this and to Jon and Gerry Butler for believing in Wrath.

Wrath of Gods a MUST see

[jbgemini1969 · 10/10 · 27 November 2006]

Wow! All I can say is Bravo Jon!! Wrath of Gods is such an incredible experience. I loved Beowulf and Grendel and enjoyed the bit of Wrath on the DVD. But it was amazing to see Wrath on a bigger scale. I was so happy to watch it on CBC NewsWorld. A lot of times I just have the TV on for background noise but this I HAD to see. I was glued to the screen. To see the hard work and dedication of the cast and crew behind the scenes. I feel you showed the heart and soul behind the movie. Wrath is such a powerful piece. It is a must see in my opinion. It compliments Beowulf and Grendel obviously but it is a stand alone piece without a doubt.

I wish there were more films like this one

[AlmaCuerpocaliente · 25 November 2010]

It was fascinating to watch this DVD, both the documentary and the added footage.

The incredible weather, the working conditions and the beautiful scenery I had heard about and expected from the clips I had seen previously. But what I didn't expect was such an eye opening journey into the world of film making.

I am sure production difficulties/fun moments differ from film to film, which is another reason I would like to see more documentaries like this...it is so different from the other 'making of' or DVD extras that I have seen. For one, it unabashedly shows how directors/producers/cast and crew act in times of stress, as well as providing several outtakes with (somewhat) less emotional discussions of the situation. I thought it a brave film and commend Gustafsson as well as the participants for allowing such tense and unscripted moments to be viewed.

What is strange is that it felt like Gustaffson was able to capture a completely honest picture of the people involved. Obviously, I wouldn't know, not knowing anyone in this production, but that is what it felt like...perhaps because people are most honest in times of stress when they do not put on a public persona. Of course, that runs the risk of being one sided, but so does any snapshot of life.

Although I found it fascinating to listen to Gunnarsson, Butler, and other members of the production (the writer and producers especially), I would have liked to have heard more perspectives from other seasoned actors (such as Skarsgard) and less seasoned actors and crew. Given the talent of the director in capturing people so honestly, it left me wanting to see more....which after 3 hours of film is pretty spectacular.

On a side note: It is funny how so many people criticize actors, and other industry people for being shallow or vain, or whathaveyou, but people are more complex than that. I think the tenacity, positive energy, crazy effort and creativity demonstrated by the participants of this film is wonderful (and I did enjoy Beowolf and Grendel), and according to those interviewed, this wasn't even the most difficult film that they had ever made! Well done.

Worth the wait......amazing!

[bingobabe114 · 10/10 · 19 May 2007]

I just finished watching the whole DVD and it's no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say that as interesting as the film is, your narration and the music is what drew me in. The tone of your voice together with the music was a perfect match. You did a great job mixing everything together.

Sturla is a true optimist. Faced with all the difficulties and having the right to feel beaten at times, he still persevered.

Gerry is, of course, Gerry. Professional, determined and funny. He went through hell but still was able to give an excellent performance and retain his sense of humor.

Everyone involved with Beowulf and Grendel should be very proud of their accomplishment. The adversity that was overcome to make this movie is amazing. Wrath Of Gods brings to light what sheer determination (and some luck) can do to make dreams become reality. This film would be an excellent teaching tool for any aspiring filmmaker! Congratulations Jon, very well done!!! Janet

execellent

[lynparks · 10/10 · 18 May 2007]

Well, today was the day!! I finally got my Wrath film.

I was absolutely blown away . I sat frozen ( pardon the pun) to my chair for the whole movie and all the clips and interviews and didn't budge till there wasn't anything else to see.

Number 1--bravo JON. what a great job you did and how well you managed to get everyone involved with your film. Number 2- making a film always seemed to be so glamorous and easy but after watching this, I think the cast and all involved should not only gotten paid but medals for going above the call of duty. Learning what goes in behind the scenes was so interesting. I'm so glad I decided last year to buy this film. it was worth every penny in the education it provided on how a movie was made.

Again I say, bravo Jon.Well done.

Lyn

Wonderful peek into a film-making journey.

[megb-3 · 10/10 · 23 May 2007]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable story about the making of a film whose main character, the landscape of Iceland, is splendid as well as difficult. The crew is tough and persistent however and in the end the movie gets made. Don't miss the interviews and the bonus scenes. The interview with Sturla Gunnarson is particularly interesting. He mentions that he once worked in Iceland under even more challenging conditions than those posed during the course of the film. I wonder whether he would have gone forward with the film if he hadn't had the earlier experience. Perception is all relative.

The movie is a good lesson for us all in persistence and dedication under great pressure from elements outside our control. I'm so glad Jon Gustafsson had that video camera with him. Thanks to everyone involved for seeing both the film and the documentary completed.