Кraken (2026)

Кraken (2026)

Yeah, right!

I’m a bit disappointed, but I’ll still say it’s a good film, especially when I see all the effort that’s gone into it!

When a Soviet submarine mysteriously disappears north of Greenland, the military command decides to send a new crew led by Commander Limonov to search for the vessel. But as the mission ventures deeper into the hostile waters of the Arctic, the crew realises that the submarine’s disappearance is beyond their capabilities… in these menacing waters, no military power is prepared to face what lies dormant beneath the ocean.

Yes, that’s the story! Not to be confused with another film that probably has the same name and was released in the same year. I’m not entirely sure, but whilst doing some research, I saw that there was a Norwegian film called Kraken, also released that same year, whose synopsis reads: “Johanne, a marine biologist, is conducting research at a fish farm in Vangsnes, a rural community situated on the edge of the fjord. Soon, she is confronted with several strange events…”

But there is also this even more striking synopsis: “A marine biologist is studying a fish farm when strange events occur and two teenagers are brutally murdered. All signs point to the deep fjord—is something lurking in its depths?”

Naturally, at first I didn’t really believe it, and I even confused the two films, thinking they must be the same because the coincidence was too great. I even doubted myself, thinking I couldn’t even tell a Russian film from a Norwegian one! Some websites even posted the wrong poster with the incorrect description.

But Nikolai Igorevich Lebedev (in Russian: Николай Игоревич Лебедев) is indeed a Russian director and screenwriter. His film is, in any case, twenty minutes longer. The Norwegian Kraken is directed by Pål Øie.

It goes without saying that these films are for fans of Kaiju (Japanese giant monsters) and big monsters in general. Is this creature coming back to haunt us again? Is it back in fashion? In any case, three years ago, we were treated to an animated feature film entitled Ruby – The Kraken Teen (2023) from the producers of Shrek (2001) and Dragons (2010).

Florence & The Machine also has a song with that title on her album ‘Everybody Scream’. The same goes for the metal band ‘Vreid’ on their album ‘The Skies Turn Black’. There’s also a group called The Kraken Consort who play classical music, but it’s primarily Irish and Scottish dance music.

A good film about a giant octopus? That’s certainly what this Kraken film seemed to promise, just as the rather engaging Norwegian production suggests. I’ll definitely watch it one of these days.

When I spotted the poster and saw that the film was available, I jumped straight into it without knowing anything about it. I didn’t know if it was an animated film or a live-action film. When I found out what it was, I was disappointed to see that it was Russian. In fact, it reminded me of films like Guardians Of The Night (2016) or Guardians (2017). Neither of them is anything to write home about! This film is slightly better… but it’s far too long. The special effects are excellent. That said, you rarely see the creature in its entirety. It’s as if it’s covered in a sort of black cloud. A dark cloud with tentacles all around it. Sometimes, you only see its gigantic tentacles, but not its head. You don’t know what it’s doing there, how it survived, or what it eats to live or survive. Given its size, it must be devouring all the other creatures in the ocean. Including in the 95% that have never been explored.

The actors are Russian, but there’s also a Swedish couple in the mix. All quite good. I saw the film in French and I’d like to point out just how excellent the French voice actors are. Over the last twenty years, at any rate, they’ve done a remarkable job.

There’s always one unbearable character, but overall I found the team worked very well together. No major ego clashes and a real sense of camaraderie among these men, who spend over an hour of the film’s running time in a submarine. No major issues with machismo either, which may seem surprising, but which I found very refreshing.

The Kraken is one of those mythical monsters that has been adapted for the big screen many times. A creature feared by sailors. That said, for a very long time, I didn’t realise it was primarily a giant octopus, as my only references were Clash of the Titans (1981) and its 2010 remake. And in those films, this monster is far more than just a giant octopus!

As for the poster, you never actually see that scene in the film. It’s just like with shark films, for example! You never see in the film what’s shown on the cover.

Anyway! The production is flawless, the pacing is spot on… but the film is too long. And we hardly see this Kraken at all. Which makes me wonder: is it really worth naming a film after something we don’t actually see that much of? At the same time, it’s hard to imagine another name for King Kong (1933)/King Kong (1976)/King Kong (2005), even though he doesn’t appear until halfway through the film. It’s a bit the same with Godzilla (1998)/Godzilla (2014). If anything, according to some fans, the best ones are Godzilla (1954), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), Shin Godzilla (2016) and Godzilla Minus One (2023).

This is a chance to dust off a few classic titles, just for fun! Such as: Alien (1979), Gremlins (1984), Freddy (A Nightmare on Elm Street) (1984), Predator (1987), Chucky (1988)… and I think that’ll do, otherwise we’ll still be here tomorrow!