Kon-Tiki is based on the real life story of the legendary Norwegian ethnographer & explorer, Thor Heyerdahl, who, in 1947, along with a five member crew, dared to undertake an expedition, spanning about 100 days and some 4300 nautical miles on the Pacific, from Peru to Polynesia on a puny balsawood raft held together by mere hemp ropes. By doing so, Thor wanted to add credence to his controversial theory that Polynesia was first populated by South Americans and not by Asians as was believed in those days.
Thor's theory was based on his observation of some statues of Polynesia which were similar to those found in South America and also from the Polynesian beliefs that their ancestors came from the east. However, this was contrary to the accepted theory that Asians were the first settlers in Polynesia. Thor's peers ridiculed his theory as they felt that ancient South Americans did not have the means or technology to cross such long distances on the Pacific over 1500 years ago.
Consequently, Thor decides to provide proof to his theory by undertaking an experimental expedition aboard a balsawood raft, named Kon-Tiki after the Inca god of Sun and storm, which was to be made in the exact style of the ancient Peruvians and by using only such materials as was available to the ancient Peruvians.
What follows is an engaging and realistic adventure that pits Thor and his crew against the elements on the Pacific where they are tested by several challenges like wrestling with choppy waves, raging storms, weakening ropes that bind the raft, sinking morales of the crew, early signs of dissent, deadly shark attacks as well as razor sharp reefs. Thor and his crew also made a documentary (also named Kon-Tiki, available on YouTube at this link - http://bit.ly/13DMs0K ) of their expedition which won the Academy Award for the Best Documentary in 1951.
While the characters themselves do not make much of an emotional connect, this movie is nevertheless engaging with constant drama and realistic adventure. Kon-Tiki also benefits greatly from fine cinematography which captures the visuals of the ocean gorgeously and some stunning special effects.
The technical finesse as well as the basic plot line which pits man against elements from ocean as a background brings back memories of Life of Pi. However, where Life of Pi straddles the sphere of an adventure rooted in fantasy, the makers of Kon-Tiki desist from over dramatising the adventure and to a large extent, persist with the retelling of the real life story of Thor and his crew.
Kon-Tiki was the highest grossing blockbuster in Norway in 2012 and was also Norway's official nominee for the 85th Academy Awards where it was picked as a final nominee for the Best Foreign Language Movie and lost to Amour.
AN ENGAGING ENTERTAINER BASED ON REAL LIFE EVENTS !!
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