Unexpectedly great - Valhalla Project is full of big ideas, memorable characters, and a journey into the unknown. Across six hours, you are taken from skepticism and brought to the edge of possibility, which means that this show achieved what it set out to do.
At the heart of this story is a woman named Alina who is searching for answers. She was orphaned at a young age and has dedicated her life to climate science. When she's approached by an international oil company (led by the devious Lily, a very memorable character), she's offered the chance to gain answers about her father. Alina is then taken down a rabbit hole, her mind expanded by her father's ground-breaking research (performed under the Soviet government, therefore hush-hush and dangerous). Could Spiral Oil and her father lead her to a solution to the climate crisis? And is the key to solving it actually buried within her and her past?
On top of the well-spun mystery, the show looks great. It's filmed in Finland, in Helsinki and in the snowy northern Lapland region, plus has scenes set in Soviet Russia, which is on the brink of collapse. There's a lot of ice, which makes the trek to this magnetic field feel like a really far-flung journey into the middle of nowhere.
For what I can imagine is the size of the production budget in comparison to the bigger series we all know and watch, this show is a minnow in an ocean. But what the director, producer and actors are able to achieve on this budget is pretty extraordinary.
If you're looking for a thought-provoking mystery with thriller elements, led by a compelling lead actress, and set somewhere foreign and remote, Valhalla Project is a pretty good bet.