Kon-Tiki

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Kon-Tiki

PG-13

2013

1h 58m

Adventure

Drama

History

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Popcornmeter

83%

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80 Reviews

77%

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10,000+ Ratings

Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) suspects that the South Sea Islands were originally colonized by South Americans. In 1947 despite his fear of water and inability to swim, Heyerdahl decides to prove his theory. He and five companions set sail from Peru on a balsa-wood raft built from an ancient design. Their only modern equipment is a radio, and they must navigate using the stars and ocean currents. After three exhausting months at sea, they achieve their goal.

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Critics Consensus

A well-crafted retelling of an epic true story, Kon Tiki is a throwback to old-school adventure filmmaking that's exciting and entertaining in spite of its by-the-book plotting.

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Bilge Ebiri

Spirituality & Health

Mar 25, 2020

Although the film is replete with suspense, it's often at its best when playing the characters on the raft off one another.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Dec 21, 2014

4/5

Considering we all know the outcome, the levels of tension remain impressive, while an atmosphere of melancholy tempers even the most triumphant moments.

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Dec 19, 2014

3/5

It is beautifully shot and has the same fierce intelligence about it that you find in its producer's other epic "quest" movies.

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Joe Lipsett

Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting

Jul 8, 2025

3.5/5

The historical recreation of the infamous 101 day Kon-Tiki journey wisely jettisons the racism that inspired the original trip, focusing instead on the sense of adventure and isolation among the six men crossing the ocean on an open raft.

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Cory Woodroof

Nashville Scene

Sep 9, 2021

Somewhat akin to the similarly sea-bound Life of Pi, Kon-Tiki's visual splendor stems from the film's painterly art direction and lush cinematography.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Apr 22, 2020

3/5

This polite, stony-faced dramatisation of the voyage is pretty much Life of Pi without the stowaway tiger or the groovy 3D visuals, but with the same amount of sharks and storms.

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K G

@KatyG-S 4 days ago

An incredible Norwegian to be seen by me. "Kon Tiki" has been a movie based of a true story with some science coming with it. To start off with, the movie really does show that you might have to break free of what people you know say, to take a risk & reach the answer to the quest, like Thor did. Leaving those behind to be who he truly is. Feel proud to learn that science of traveling from Peru to Polynesia. Outside of that, I just wanted to mention the positives I could say about behind the scenes. I loved the locations of it, it is just like seeing the making of "Send Help" & I would want to be there - in my dreams, not to mention the acting is well done. The people he loved should be proud of Thor.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 18, 2026

Kon-Tiki = a *4* star Movie!

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kevenquinlan T

@RT75276071 Aug 13, 2026

Very forced. Watchable, but that's about it.

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Just R

@RT64387742 Jul 6, 2026

Visually striking. Narratively pathetic! The script has a lot of fabricated drama, going as far as to jump-scare the unwitting audience with inexistant shark attacks and the fake threat of the raft falling apart (which was never an issue, one of the primary discoveries and the whole point of the 1947 expedition). The human drama is also banal and boring, with Thor's wife Liv absent or unsupportive at every turn. The expeditioners are all selfish and defeatist, working together only when forced by the circumstances. The whole movie has nothing in the way of adventure, nothing uplifting or motivational to this momentous enterprise; it's more of a trudge for the cast as well as for the viewer. If you have read and enjoyed the Kon-Tiki book, avoid this movie as you will definitely not enjoy its broken spirit and historically inaccurate events. The film feels more like a posthumous hit piece on Heyerdahl than an adventure movie. Worth forgetting.

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Max W

@MaxthorWoo Dec 15, 2025

The true story of Kon-Tiki is far more astonishing than depicted in the film.

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BJ M

@HotMovieStar Dec 8, 2025

Epic adventure film. Exciting to watch. I appreciated the history included.

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Joachim Rønning

Director

Espen Sandberg

Director

Pål Sverre Hagen

Thor Heyerdahl

Anders Baasmo Christiansen

Herman Watzinger

Tobias Santelmann

Knut Haugland

Gustaf Skarsgård

Bengt Danielsson

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Synopsis

Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) suspects that the South Sea Islands were originally colonized by South Americans. In 1947 despite his fear of water and inability to swim, Heyerdahl decides to prove his theory. He and five companions set sail from Peru on a balsa-wood raft built from an ancient design. Their only modern equipment is a radio, and they must navigate using the stars and ocean currents. After three exhausting months at sea, they achieve their goal.

Director: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Producer: Aage Aaberge, Jeremy Thomas
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Film i Väst, DCM Productions, Nordisk Film
Rating: PG-13 (A Disturbing Violent Sequence)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
Original Language: Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 1h 58m

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