Mads Mikkelsen’s Viking Epic Conquers Rotten Tomatoes With Rave Reviews
Mads Mikkelsen is back swinging an axe and a wicked sense of humor in The Last Viking, a modern-set black comedy from writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen that’s already posting a strong Rotten Tomatoes score. With Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sofie Gråbøl, and Søren Malling in tow, early buzz says this Viking tale slays.
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If you told me there was a new Viking film starring Mads Mikkelsen, I’d expect towering beards, a hundred axes and probably a bloke screaming 'Valhalla!' at full volume. But 'The Last Viking' isn’t that at all. It’s actually a black comedy set in the modern day, with Mikkelsen going toe-to-toe (and pint-for-pint) with Nikolaj Lie Kaas. People in the know have clearly been impressed: the film is finding serious love from critics, currently riding high on Rotten Tomatoes. Let’s get into why everyone’s suddenly obsessed with contemporary sibling drama—Viking style.
Wait, a Modern Viking Comedy?
Yep, you read that right. Danish writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen takes the Viking myth and parks it squarely in the 21st century. The actual plot follows two brothers, Anker—played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas, who you might recognise from 'Frankenstein'—and Manfred (who also goes by John, of all things), brought to life by Mads Mikkelsen. Throw in Sofie Gråbøl and Søren Malling, and you’ve got a cast most Danish filmmakers would sell their left leg to assemble.
What’s the Buzz With the Critics?
The reviews—so far at least—are putting this film on a bit of a pedestal. At the time of writing, it’s sitting at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews. For a black comedy about sibling rivalry, blood, and bad tempers, that’s not too shabby.
- Radio Times’ James Mottram reckons Mikkelsen is 'glorious', but tips his hat to Kaas as 'a man with serious anger management problems'. Apparently, underneath all the chaos and blood, Jensen manages to turn this into something 'genuinely sweet' about brothers. Not what you’d expect if you’re just looking at the axes and face paint.
- RogerEbert.com’s Jason Bailey describes the film’s humour as 'a cockeyed streak a mile wild', adding that it works the best kind of 'straight-faced absurdism'—so dry, but still heartfelt.
- The Hollywood Reporter’s Caryn James points out that Jensen pulls off some wild genre-juggling: 'Few directors would be able to juggle genres and navigate shifts in tone as fluidly as Jensen does here.' She admits, 'On paper none of it should work ... but this unlikely film is consistently entertaining, weird, and ultimately touching.'
- IndieWire’s Christian Zilko makes an interesting point about the long-running on-screen partnership between Kaas and Mikkelsen—apparently this is their sixth team-up with Jensen, which means their oddball brotherly banter never devolves into 'gimmickry'.
When Can You Actually See It?
The film had its big world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2025. It landed in Danish cinemas just over a month later on 9 October (makes sense, given the nationality of basically everyone involved). The release plan for everyone else looks like this: US viewers will be able to check it out in cinemas, or at home via digital and on-demand, from 29 May 2026.
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