This is strange considering Ronning and Sandberg’s previous film, the Oscar-nominated “Kon-Tiki,” was set almost entirely on a boat, skillfully relying on tiny sonic details and slightly off-kilter angles to suggest a life at sea.
And surprisingly they don't do much that's novel with the naval battles, either, considering their sea-faring experience on breakout Oscar nominee, Kon-Tiki.
While it must have seemed like a great idea at the time, going from indies like the critically acclaimed “Kon-Tiki” (and lesser acclaimed “Bandidas”) to the franchise heavens (and budgets) of Disney’s ‘Pirates,’ directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg suffer the indignity of losing their personality in a completely anonymous, big mainstream debut.
New directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, best known for Norway’s 2012 foreign language Oscar nominee Kon-Tiki, mostly follow the franchise rulebook in spinning out the jokey (but not terribly sexy) Carina-Henry romance and staging the heavily-choreographed action.
“Kon-Tiki” directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are at the helm this time around, proving capable captains even if the script they’re working from isn’t always seaworthy.
Norwegian directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Ronning (who got on the radar thanks to their acclaimed seafaring adventure Kon-Tiki) make their Hollywood feature debut here.