Its a tough world to be in with super powers right? Ask yourself this question. If you have the ability to control elements how would you use these new found gifts? For good? For bad? or maybe in between. In the Norwegian supernatural thriller from André Øvredal MORTAL we find an American backpacker who unfortunately becomes a one man wrecking crew with no rhyme or reason to how he gets there. As things play out and he becomes the target of a man hunt we find out he may be in the hands of a greater power unlike anyone has ever seen.
In the recent months there has been a reams of films weirdly describing super powers. As far back as two years ago a film by the name BRIGHTBURN terrorized film goers and gave a new glimpse into the worlds of superhuman feats with no direction towards saving people. Most of MORTAL follows our lead Nat Wolff trying to figure what happened to his family and why all of a sudden he has the ability to produce elements and take away life. There is a small bit of excitement as we watch him deal with this foreign land and unwanted powers that seem to have mind of their own. Great visuals are on display at full throttle. Anytime you have a film that showcases the multitude of engagements as we see here views tend to be worried that the film is cheesy and lacking any clear direction. Not the case with MORTAL. It's almost mesmerizing to see uncanny this display of power showcased in the film but audiences will be rewarded when they see how things play out.
There are so many beloved characters in the history arch of superheroes and villains that we forget sometimes they are based off true mythical gods. MORTAL will remind you that behind every story there is an origin and sometimes that origin may be confusing at first but settles in nicely. MORTAL will be a film viewers wont forget for sometime.
3/5
MORTAL is directed by André Øvredal and stars Nat Wolff, Iben Akerlie, Per Frisch, Per Egil Aske, Priyanka Bose.