Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1204
RT slug: against_the_ice
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/against_the_ice
Release year: —
Runtime: 102 mins
Wide release date: —
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2022-03-02
Tomatometer final: 57%
Audience score final: 72%
Genres: Adventure, Drama, History
Directors: Peter Flinth
Writers: Ejnar Mikkelsen, Joe Derrick, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Producers: Baltasar Kormákur, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
MPAA rating: —
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-08-21 22:19:50
Updated: 2026-08-21 22:19:50
Against the Ice is a true story of friendship, love, survival, and the power of the human spirit as two men (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole) trek unknown parts of Greenland on a harrowing expedition that changed history.
Against the Ice isn't the most original or exciting wilderness thriller, but viewers in search of man-versus-nature entertainment could easily do worse.
Canonical reviews: 35
Canonical fresh: 20
Canonical rotten: 15
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 57%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-08-21 20:56:20
Snapshot Tomatometer: 57%
Snapshot review count: 35
Snapshot fresh count: 20
Snapshot rotten count: 15
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #2989 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Ill Kippers Productions | production |
| RVK Studios | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Ejnar Mikkelsen |
| 2 | Joe Cole | Iver Iversen |
| 3 | Heida Reed | Naja |
| 4 | Charles Dance | Neergaard |
| 5 | Ed Speleers | Bessel |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1220 | processed | — | 2026-08-21 22:19:50 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1204 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2989 | 2026-08-21 15:56:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-21 20:56:20 | 57% | 35 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 35 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=35, fresh=20, rotten=15, tomatometer=57%. Net new reviews added=35, fresh=20, rotten=15. Current canonical totals=35 reviews, 20 fresh, 15 rotten, tomatometer=57% (57.143%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (35). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (57%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 248528 | Nuha Hassan | Nuha Hassan (Medium) | Rotten | — | 2023-09-04T16:28:33.000Z | 2023-09-04 16:28:33 | Many unforgettable moments of tension and deprivation will surely grip the audiences’ attention. However, the slow and sloppy pacing ultimately makes the movie a bit shaky. |
| 248529 | Keith Garlington | Keith & the Movies | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2022-08-16T20:13:18.000Z | 2022-08-16 20:13:18 | While it may lack the overall tension you might expect from a movie like this, the film still does a good job immersing you in its story and setting. |
| 248530 | Rahul Desai | News9 Live (India) | Fresh | — | 2022-07-25T20:46:01.000Z | 2022-07-25 20:46:01 | A tropey but fairly watchable survival drama... |
| 248531 | Erik Childress | Movie Madness Podcast | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2022-04-12T19:58:02.000Z | 2022-04-12 19:58:02 | The first half of the survival tale is engrossing and tense. The waiting around in the second with some questionable visual psychosis without the dread softens its overall impact. |
| 248532 | Matt Glasby | Radio Times | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-17T14:52:49.000Z | 2022-03-17 14:52:49 | Although the scenery is beautiful, the action is solid rather than spectacular, and viewers of ice-bound adventures such as TV's The Terror and The North Water will know what to expect. |
| 248533 | Aurora Amidon | Paste Magazine | Rotten | 5.8/10 | 2022-03-15T20:33:01.000Z | 2022-03-15 20:33:01 | If only a good cast was enough to salvage a plodding, tedious film from the snowy wreckage. |
| 248534 | Nadir Samara | Screen Rant | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-15T19:18:00.000Z | 2022-03-15 19:18:00 | Based on the autobiography of Ejnar Mikkelsen, Against The Ice shows the grim reality of what it takes to cross an arctic tundra & does a smooth job. |
| 248535 | Ben Rolph | Movie Marker | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-12T11:06:12.000Z | 2022-03-12 11:06:12 | Against the Ice has many rewarding qualities, but its faults threaten to throw the film off course. |
| 248536 | Tim Cogshell | FilmWeek (LAist) | Fresh | — | 2022-03-12T00:18:13.000Z | 2022-03-12 00:18:13 | This one is interesting because it plays out in a very particular way that actually has something to do with what's happening today. |
| 248537 | Jennifer Green | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 4/5 | 2022-03-09T21:31:06.000Z | 2022-03-09 21:31:06 | This tough epic of two lone explorers surviving in a brutal natural environment is surprisingly captivating. |
| 248538 | Mark Kermode | Kermode & Mayo's Film Review | Rotten | — | 2022-03-09T00:11:13.000Z | 2022-03-09 00:11:13 | Considering the epic nature of the trek, the film did feel rather pedestrian. |
| 248539 | Susan Granger | SSG Syndicate | Fresh | 7/10 | 2022-03-07T14:59:17.000Z | 2022-03-07 14:59:17 | "There's authenticity and realism aplenty in this harrowing survival story." |
| 248540 | Simran Hans | Observer (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2022-03-06T13:02:41.000Z | 2022-03-06 13:02:41 | A tense encounter with an angry polar bear and a phantom hot air balloon are highlights during the endless plodding across the frozen wilderness. |
| 248541 | Dennis Schwartz | Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews | Fresh | B- | 2022-03-04T05:09:22.000Z | 2022-03-04 05:09:22 | A lumbering adventure film, told by the numbers, that is only average. |
| 248542 | John Serba | Decider | Rotten | — | 2022-03-03T23:26:04.000Z | 2022-03-03 23:26:04 | Against the Ice is more thrilling than watching icicles form in your beard, and please take that as the faint praise it is. |
| 248543 | David Ehrlich | IndieWire | Rotten | C- | 2022-03-03T22:10:48.000Z | 2022-03-03 22:10:48 | Coster-Waldau and Joe Derrick’s script smartly underplays the whole “hardass father figure gets his heart softened by guileless kid” dynamic, but Against the Ice struggles for something to replace it. |
| 248544 | Steven Prokopy | Third Coast Review | Fresh | 3/4 | 2022-03-03T21:13:39.000Z | 2022-03-03 21:13:39 | Aside from dragging briefly in spots, iAgainst the Ice/i is a worthy entry in the humans-versus-nature sub-genre of adventure movies. |
| 248545 | Danny Leigh | Financial Times | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-03T16:32:11.000Z | 2022-03-03 16:32:11 | Peter Flinth’s film sets itself up with neat economy. |
| 248546 | Danielle Ryan | Slashfilm | Rotten | 5/10 | 2022-03-03T14:42:29.000Z | 2022-03-03 14:42:29 | Against the Ice is a gorgeous and grueling tale in need of a trim. |
| 248547 | Jared Mobarak | The Film Stage | Fresh | C+ | 2022-03-03T13:56:56.000Z | 2022-03-03 13:56:56 | I do believe Against the Ice is a success insofar as its ability to memorialize these unsung heroes. The story itself just isn't quite as spellbinding as one may believe due to its familiarity and back-heavy construction. |
| 248548 | Victoria Luxford | BBC.com | Rotten | 2/5 | 2022-03-03T11:35:41.000Z | 2022-03-03 11:35:41 | The suspenseful scenes dont quite come together, the effects are not that convincing. Overall, it never feels as thrilling as it should. |
| 248549 | Beatrice Loayza | New York Times | Rotten | — | 2022-03-03T11:04:04.000Z | 2022-03-03 11:04:04 | It’s a known fact that Mikkelsen and Iversen made it home, but “Against the Ice” doesn’t succeed in making us feel anything when they do. |
| 248550 | Simon Abrams | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2022-03-02T22:59:36.000Z | 2022-03-02 22:59:36 | Against the Ice delivers all the delirious period drama thrills and survival horror angst that you could want from a movie with that title. |
| 248551 | Edward Douglas | The Weekend Warrior (Substack) | Fresh | 8/10 | 2022-03-02T15:11:58.000Z | 2022-03-02 15:11:58 | Its great when an actors passion project is able to come to fruition in such a compelling way to others. |
| 248552 | Robert Kojder | Flickering Myth | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-01T21:55:07.000Z | 2022-03-01 21:55:07 | Against The Ice works best when depicting the unsavory aspects of survival for trekking through the Arctic and the search for the cairn |
| 248553 | Benjamin Lee | Guardian | Fresh | 3/5 | 2022-03-01T16:58:28.000Z | 2022-03-01 16:58:28 | A familiar tale told robustly but with very little distinguishing flair. |
| 248554 | Julian Roman | MovieWeb | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2022-03-01T16:44:31.000Z | 2022-03-01 16:44:31 | Against the Ice plods along with a matter-of-fact approach that feels cold and stale. The severity of the situation is never in doubt. But the film fails to snare the viewer with a compelling narrative. |
| 248555 | Kate Sánchez | But Why Tho? | Fresh | — | 2022-02-28T17:47:18.000Z | 2022-02-28 17:47:18 | ...Against the Ice is a film that never loses focus on its environment or its leads, balanced and thoughtful, it succeeds in ways I didnt expect. |
| 248556 | James Mottram | South China Morning Post | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2022-02-18T17:28:46.000Z | 2022-02-18 17:28:46 | With a heroic effort from the leads, dwarfed by the vast expanses in Greenland and Iceland, where they filmed, the result is a worthy tribute to these two intrepid explorers. |
| 248557 | Lou Thomas | Little White Lies | Rotten | — | 2022-02-17T13:29:13.000Z | 2022-02-17 13:29:13 | Well-intentioned and occasionally gripping but overall somewhat flat. |
| 248558 | Tim Robey | Daily Telegraph (UK) | Rotten | 3/5 | 2022-02-16T18:27:43.000Z | 2022-02-16 18:27:43 | Against the Ice is very square, very straight, and just naggingly average in all departments. |
| 248559 | Fionnuala Halligan | Screen International | Fresh | — | 2022-02-15T21:46:28.000Z | 2022-02-15 21:46:28 | There’s always an audience for stories about men who face down the elements and lose their toes in the process. And the scenery is, well, out of this world. |
| 248560 | Ed Potton | The Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2022-02-15T21:45:10.000Z | 2022-02-15 21:45:10 | The scenery... is rapturous, and the script combines arduousness, gallows humour and hope in just the right proportion. |
| 248561 | David Rooney | The Hollywood Reporter | Rotten | — | 2022-02-15T21:29:45.000Z | 2022-02-15 21:29:45 | This is a potentially fascinating true story in which the pedestrian script and journeyman direction mislay the suspense — unless ropey CG polar bears give you a thrill. |
| 248562 | Jessica Kiang | Variety | Rotten | — | 2022-02-15T21:28:11.000Z | 2022-02-15 21:28:11 | [A] handsome but plodding adventure movie. |
Showing the latest 100 canonical reviews for this movie.