I was afraid to see this movie. But it's one of those cases where I felt I HAD to. I was inevitably drawn to it. I thought there was a risk of it being a little exploitative. But I looked at the cast list, and an actor cast as Breivik was nowhere to be found.

And as soon as you watch the movie, it makes perfect sense. Many of the campers didn't have a chance of seeing who the shooter was, and if they did they were most likely doomed. It makes the situation extremely scary, as there is no visible presentation of the threat. Just shots firing from a gun, with one person after the other getting hit...

I'm sorry, I'm getting too emotional. But it's really hard not to. I felt all the fear, all the dirt and sand and the uncertainty over whether someone was going to make it out alive or not. The fact that it's impossible to know the fate of any of the victims beforehand is particularly horrifying. There are no easy hiding places, not a spot where you can feel completely safe and sound.

It feels weird to point out the acting in a way, since never at any point in the movie did I notice I was watching people acting. But I still have to give props to the especially brilliant performance of Andrea Berntzen as Kaja. Even though her mission to find her sister is extremely dangerous, you understand it from her angle why she would do it. You can sense every heartbeat and emotion that she goes through as she finds herself witnessing things that once you've seen it, it's stuck in your mind forever.

I was bawling my eyes red at the end of it. It's unbelievable that such a tragedy struck a country like Norway, at a nice and homely island, the place where you would least expect something like this to ever occur.

Yes, it's "just" a movie. But this is the closest you will possibly come to experiencing a tragedy at an isolated resort. As horrible as watching it play out in great detail was, be as grateful as you can it never happened to you. And to all the brave people who survived, stay strong and live your lives as happily as you can.

I reviewed this film originally in april 2018(see below the update) but significant changes has been made in this filmversion.

Update 8/12 2018, i feel that i have to inform every international viewer of this film who watches this netflix version on the internet , you (and i ) are cheated for at least 40 minutes from the version shown in norwegian theaters in spring 2018. it is basicly in the start and during the attacks that have been ''censored''. these part are very essential key to the understanding of the experiences that the young people were living through at utoya at 22/7 2011. most of my impressions told in my first review(below)have been erased from the cinemaversion i saw. howcome or why i dont know, try to find the original cinemaversion to be able to understand better the horrific madness that took place in innocent little norway that day.they have even erased the amanda-awarded main actress away from the, film who are pictured on the poster of this film.terrible..... my 10 stars are for the norwegian spoken original cinematic version.

I remember 22/7-11,as if it was yesterday.i wasnt there,not even nearby,but what actually happened that day mustve been horrible. ive just come out of the cinema,i feel numb and cold,and extremely fatigued after 90 minutes of hide or be shot. the film starts in wet , gloomy and grey,and ends black,even blacker than that- the acting of the main cast are phenomenal.the way they act the misery and horror are academy-worthy. i have ,through my occupation , seen people drawing their last breath due to old age,or disease. so playing a dying person are difficult, and to do it convincingly , are even harder , so the part of the movie where the lead actress comforts a deadly wounded girl , and the girl slowly dies is just extraordinary . the way the actress plays dead are just sooo realistic . jesus died on the cross, jack died on the titanic, and this young woman died at utøya,i ts just monumental, see it and you will never forget!!!! this is a filmreview,and along with the acting comes extremely intense filmography and cameramotion, the sound effects some of the most horrific and frightening ive ever experienced in a movie theater,the editing sharp,and the settings are actually filmed in the woods,on the beach,in the mud at utøya. a masterpiece from mister Poppe.....10 from me.

The second of two 2018 film's that tackled the terrifying and horrific terrorist attacks committed in Norway in 2011 by mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik, Utoya: July 22 takes a much different approach to proceedings than Paul Greengrass's Netflix film, that took a much more long-winded and wide-scoped approach, by throwing viewers onto Utoya island in a single, often breath-taking single shot take that dazzles and frustrates in equal measure.

While there's a brief moment at the films start that shows the terror in Oslo, Erik Poppe's film throws viewers headfirst into this fateful day and time, as we follow Andrea Berntzen's fictional Kaja as she looks to survive the island massacre, whilst searching for her younger sister, all without a single edit as 90 or so minutes of run time takes place.

By not taking time out of the terror, we as a viewer feel very much like a bystander to faithfully recreated scenarios that are both horrifying and shocking and in this sense Utoya is a marvel and one of those instances where the fabled long take doesn't at all feel like a gimmick, more so a filmmaking technique that immerses us whole heartedly into a time and place history will never forget.

As the bullets begin to ring out and the chaos on the island, filled with teenagers and children unfolds, Utoya feels less like a film and more like a documentary, meaning the confrontational nature of the subject will be tough viewing for some and most surely not the stuff of light-hearted movie making.

Where Poppe's film falls rather flat and at times genuinely frustrating is around its long-take scenario, with much of the films stilted dialogue, long-winded and often repetitive scenes and collection of so-so supporting turns letting the film down.

While the single take works so well, there are moments you wish Poppe had the gumption to take a swift edit to some of the scenes or refine some of the conversations/character decisions to polish the film.

Instances where terrified teens repeatedly use their cell phones whilst a gun-wielding murderer roams close by or scenes where characters seemingly move from a safe haven to an easy to be picked off hiding spot do begin to frustrate, as Poppe looks to move his fact-inspired but fictional account forward, even if lead actress Berntzen should be commended for her fully committed and intense acting turn.

You get the feeling had the film chosen long-takes with some well-thought out breaks and edits, some refinement could've gone a long way in a storytelling and character building sense.

Final Say -

As immersive a look at the Utoya attacks as were ever likely to get, Erik Poppe's film has much to admire but also far too many elements left to be desired, meaning this sometimes brilliant and sometimes downright bad thriller ends up in that odd middle ground.

2 ½ yellow jackets out of 5