Viking Wolf (2022): Vikingulven or Viking Wolf, Netflix’s new creature horror, is a dud. There are no two ways about it. The film lacks a compelling narrative. It is only impressive in some parts, and that lack of quality in the other spaces shows while watching it. The biggest disappointment from the film remains a ferocious creature. Isn’t that the main reason why we all tune in?
We get an ordinary-looking CGI-manifested wolf with some muscles and enhanced secondary features. That is not exciting enough for us to remember the film after we have finished it. Perhaps that was not the intention of the makers to begin with.
Because when compared to classic creature horror films, specifically werewolf subcategories like Dog Soldiers, Late Phases, and Howling, Viking Wolf pales in comparison. One must dig pretty deep into the dialogue to comprehend many plot details. Such was the presentation by director Stig Svendsen; absorbing the facets of storytelling became difficult. And when you do not know what is going on, can you ever enjoy a movie? Worry not, for we are here. In this piece, we discuss the plot and ending of Netflix’s Viking Wolf in detail to ensure none of the plot points are missed.
Viking Wolf (2022) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Thale (Elli Rhiannon) has recently moved to Nybu from Oslo with her family. Her mother, Liv Berg (Liv Mjones), is a deputy in the police and has recently married Arthur (Vidar Magnussen). Thale is close with her younger sister, Jenny, but has difficulty settling in with the local kids. She is invited to a late-night party by Jonas (Sjur Brean). The night turns into a nightmare when an alleged wolf attacks Elin, Jonas’ girlfriend, and takes her into the forest. The coroner cannot link the bite marks to a wolf when her body is discovered.
William from the Norway Veterinary Research Centre assists on the case and believes the creature to be a werewolf. Lars Brodin, an amputee hunter, comes into town and says the same things and warns Liv that she must ensure the “poison” of the creature does not spread.
Is Viking Wolf Based on a True Story?
We sure hope not! On a more serious note, the information about Viking Wolf being based on true events is never given out. One can assume that the contrary is true, i.e., Viking Wolf is not based on a true story. However, that must not stop real-life werewolf conspirators from speculating if the account has any roots in some distant, exotic Norwegian legend. According to the internet, the first mention of a werewolf in Viking history was in 1270 in the Volsunga Saga.
The story is said to have originated from the tale of Sigmundr and Sinfjotli. Despite the fact that stories about werewolves became a source of entertainment around roaring fires to help pass the long, dark Scandinavian winters, the obsession has been passed down from generation to generation. The myth of the werewolf has more to do with the symbolism of wolfs in the Viking culture than anything else. They see a reflection of themselves in the wolves – how they ruthlessly hunt in packs, and evoke fear with their brute strengths, and prowl in the dark, picking and choosing the right moment to attack.
What is the meaning of the opening montage in Viking Wolf?
The opening montage explains the origins of the creature that Liv shoots in the forest den. Back in 1050, Viking Chieftain Gudbrand and Grim set out with twenty ships to plunder Normandy. In an abbey, they discovered a secret room. Despite the constant pleadings of the monks not to enter the room, Gudbrand did so. He slashed the heads of the monk and proceeded to open the lock. The Vikings found neither gold nor silver that could corrupt them. They found something even worse, evil and sinister.
None of them understood they had released the hound of hell. It came along with them on the ship as they sailed back home. Before the ships reached Norway and could hit the shores, all the Vikings died. That is how “evil” found its way into the woods. The film’s events are set almost a thousand years after this happened in Normandy. In fact, the creature terrorizing the forests is the same werewolf who came along with the Vikings on the ship.
What details about the creature does Lars Brodin reveal? How can the creature be defeated?
Lars was the only person who gave us any sort of credible information we could use to figure out the central mystery behind the werewolf. His introduction in the film was very different. We only see him breaking into the morgue where Elin’s body is kept and inspecting the wounds that were inflicted on her. After he confirms that the wounds are true of the creature he is hunting down, he goes to the police station. He has a conversation with Liv, where he gives her a silver bullet.
Liv does not believe him at first, but when they go hunting the wolf who supposedly killed Elin, she meets him face to face. Even after being shot at by her entire team, the werewolf shows no signs of slowing down. Only when Liv uses the silver bullet is the werewolf stopped. When William confirms that the creature cannot be a wolf and is a werewolf, he goes with Liv to Lars’ trailer in the camping ground. Subsequently, Lars correctly mentions the creature’s origin and explains how he will be killed.
Lars says that once the werewolf bites another person and they do not die, his poison begins to take over their body. This information is explained through the glimpses of an unconscious Thale floating in the water earlier in the film. Thale is being converted into a werewolf, and the curse is slowly taking over her body. Lars informs that once the curse is complete, the human is lost forever, and the only way to kill it would be by ending the bloodline. All those who have been infected must be severed to make sure the poison cannot be transmitted any further. This is also the reason why Lars, after inspecting the wounds of Eilert, Liv’s police subordinate, pulls the plug on his machine.
Why does Thale not attack Jenny even after she has converted?
A moment late in the third act, a converted Thale reaches Jenny in her wolf form. But for some reason, she does not attack Jenny. Even at the club, when Thale has ripped apart everyone in her sight, Jenny walks up to Thale without fear, and the wolf shows signs of understanding what she is saying. Why Thale did not kill Jenny is confusing, and the film does not explain that part. All we can do is glean information from the depicted events and draw conclusions.
Jenny was deaf and dumb. We saw earlier in the film when in the scene before Jonas’ killing, Thale is sitting in the classroom. The noise of one of the students scribbling on the paper reaches her ears as if someone was doing it at a 100x louder volume. The class is taken by surprise. But this happens because Thale is in the process of converting. Lars mentioned that werewolves have a heightened sense of hearing. Jenny moves toward Thale by signing that she will take care of her. Thale seems to be responsive to Jenny.
She was the only person Thale was close to and loved unconditionally. Also, perhaps because she was not capable of making sounds, Thale had the time and momentary conscience to look at Jenny and make an effort to be intrigued.
Viking Wolf (2022) Ending, Explained:
What is the significance of Liv placing the silver bullet on the bed stool?
The ending is quite frenetic relative to the rest of the film. After Thale kills Jonas, we see that the curse is almost complete. She rides the bus home after discovering that the police have found the body. But when she sees the full moon, the wolf in her threatens to come out. Thale’s urges are too strong to resist, and she converts in the bus itself. She wreaks havoc on the passengers as the bus tumbles upside down in the tunnel.
Liv is informed of this debacle and reaches the spot. But Thale is nowhere to be found. We discover that she has gone back to her house, where she does not attack Jenny, and Arthur takes advantage of her indecisiveness to escape with Jenny. Thale gives a strong chase and eventually catches up. Outside a bar full of people, the car stops, and Thale watches the people coming out. She attacks them and kills every last one of them. Jenny confronts her in the middle of the road in sign language, and Thale once again does not attack her younger sister. Soon, Liv arrives with William, and he shoots a tranquilizer at Thale. The trio rushes inside to safety as Thale stands outside.
Lars arrives in a chaotic fashion in his RV to thrash Thale, but she is able to avoid the vehicle. Thale wounds Liv, and William is unable to shoot her. Jenny injects the dart into Thale’s body, and she falls unconscious. Liv loads her gun with the silver bullet at the hospital, and the screen goes black. In the final scene, we see Liv placing the silver bullet in front of the photo frame of Thale, indicating that she decides not to kill Thale and let her go.
The mother-daughter duo quarreled throughout the movie and had unresolved emotional issues. Thale believed Liv did not make much of an effort to reconcile the relationship with her sick father. And the fact that she immediately got into a new relationship and moved away from Oslo showed she did not care. Liv understood Thale’s anger but never got the chance to make amends. By releasing her back into the forest, Liv seems to have made peace with her daughter.
Read More: Viking Wolf (2022) Netflix Review: Unsatisfying creature horror draws a blank
Watch Viking Wolf (2022) Trailer
Viking Wolf (2022) Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Viking Wolf (2022) Cast: Liv Mjönes, Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne, Arthur Hakalahti
Where to watch Viking Wolf
