Operaatio Valhalla

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.

The series is simply brilliant, let's start with that! The actors, direction, use of sounds, script and editing are all exceptionally good for a series that is even partially Finnish. In Finland, we are not used to such expensive and versatile series, which are usually from the United States, for example.

It got the critics barking, which made me laugh exceptionally hard. Perhaps "a Finnish series shouldn't look like this". However, Finns alone would never be able to do such as this kind of awesome work.

I definitely recommend watching without prejudice. The series is mainly sci-fi, so in that respect it is not my target group. It also partly has suspense or thriller that saves it.

With Finnish funding alone, such a work would never succeed!! I think that this will be the most popular somewhere else than in Finland. Elsewhere, the high-quality series is understood more.

With an incredible level of production, this series surprised me on many levels. The story, beautifully told across two timelines like a puzzle where every piece matters, keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

It demands your full attention and leaves you wanting more, as each episode reveals new layers of the plot. The show introduces the concept of parallel universes in a very natural way, backed by scientific references, and pulls you into a gripping thriller where all you want is for the protagonist to uncover the truth-despite all the obstacles in her path.

Highly recommended!

Words can barely describe how enjoyable this series is. Stunning visuals, creative storytelling, complex characters, and emotionally engaging moments tied to compelling and innovative sci-fi make this series one of a kind, the best way possible. All you need to do is start the first episode and you'll have finished the show in no time because of how hooked you'll be.