Ulvesommer

I never thought I'd sit through the whole of this film which looked like an amateur project from the start. But I found it hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't intended as a parody, but that's how it turned out, at least for me.

OK, the animals and the nature were attractive enough, but it had only the barest hint of a plot and very little acting, particularly by the adult "actors". The film makes me wonder what the point was in making it at all. Viewed as a project for film-making school it would be acceptable perhaps, but for worldwide publication???? I can understand that it will entertain small children, all that running around with a cuddly wolf pup in your arms and everything...

It makes a very, very, very obvious statement, in favour of the carnivores and against the crooked sheep raisers that want to shoot them - there has been a lot of debate and conflict around this theme in Norway in later years. But to me, a supporter of the carnivore conservation cause, it was wholly embarrassing. Almost every scene lacks any hint of credibility and nothing much was stated other than the most blatantly obvious. I guess you cannot expect too much debate from a children's film, and children of course aren't so much in need of a credible plot, good acting and subtlety as older people. But I have seen children's films with those elements in them, so why not? It is possible. Try again.

LEF

This movie, you MUST see. It is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time The movie is very good and the girl is super I vote 10 stars for this movie...!!!!

Although this movie was obviously intended for family viewing, it was so banal, badly acted and formulaic that it took on a sort of bizarre charm. The landscape is beautiful, but the starring wolves were so obviously hand reared and trained that there was impossible to portray them as being dangerous on threatening to anybody or anything. One situation after another (not to mention the behaviour of the baddie with his gun) left one wondering what on earth was going on. Nothing seemed to make any sense. The storyline was so absurd, and the filming of the action sequences so stiff and badly edited that the film came over as a spoof rather than anything to be taken seriously. A candidate as one of the worst films of the decade........

This looks like the Norwegian version of a wolfy Lassie. And it all the cliches that could make it a predictable American movie. But it is not...and perhaps that is what makes it a better one.

And Braaten makes a great debut here as Kim, the little girl who does what she can to save the wolf and it's puppy from three angry shepards. A true adventure it is...but perhaps in a smaller scale than you might would expect.

This is a very good movie for kids, the acting is very good, the wolf is awesome, and although it's "Lassie'ish" it does not suffer from a common Hollywood kids movie syndrome. I don't know why, but when Hollywood makes a movie about kids and animals they seem obsessed with making your kid cry. This Norwegian film will actually make your kid laugh, and you too, there is one sort of sad part but it's expected, and not even Kim cries in the scene.

For some folks in the USA the subtitles might be a bit of a pain, but the movie is worth it. Don't expect to rent this one at your local video store though, if you want a copy you'll probably have to order one for purchase, but it's worth it.