Black Crab Trailer: Noomi Rapace Is A Post-Apocalyptic Soldier Sent On An Icy Suicide Mission

When Netflix released a preview of its original film slate for 2022, only a few titles stood out amidst a sea of star-studded yet homogenous-looking productions. Swedish post-apocalyptic thriller "Black Crab" wasn't featured in the supercut, which is too bad, because it looks awesome. Now, the upcoming Netflix movie has a full trailer, which you can watch below.

"Black Crab" is billed as an action thriller set in a war-torn landscape. Rapace plays Caroline Edh, a former speed skater and current soldier who is recruited for a mysterious mission across a frozen landscape. As the trailer shows, a geopolitically significant archipelago is frozen in ice for the first time in four decades, giving a special team the chance to cross it for some high-stakes mission on the other side. The project is called Operation Black Crab, and it seems to involve ending this world's unnamed war as well as reuniting Caroline with her long-lost daughter.

This sounds thrilling enough on paper, but when translated on screen, "Black Crab" already looks stunning. In one shot, the group skates across dark ice while bright orange explosions contrast behind them. In another, Caroline shines a light on the ground beneath her to reveal an icy floor made of dozens of frozen bodies. This movie looks dark, but also visually striking. In fact, it looks better than most American Netflix productions we've seen in recent years.

With an apocalyptic, action-packed premise that looks as dead serious as "Children of Men" and a sleek, cinematic design, "Black Crab" seems like it would be a project with big names behind it. Surprisingly, though, it's the first feature by Swedish filmmaker Adam Berg. The story comes from a 2002 book by author Jerker Virdborg, which follows the team of soldiers as they carry out a mission they know nothing about. Netflix's "Black Crab" seems poised to follow the plot closely, as press materials say the team is tasked with the "transport [of] a mysterious package that could end the war."

"Black Crab" looks so cool that I can't help but worry that Netflix will bury it. The streamer is known for algorithmic intricacies that leave some of its best titles off the home page. Still, non-English-language productions like "Squid Game" and "Money Heist" have managed to become international hits, so if "Black Crab" is as good as it looks like it'll be, maybe it has a chance. It helps that the cast is led by Noomi Rapace, the talented actress who brought Lisbeth Salander to life in the original Millennium Trilogy adaptations. The actress also recently appeared at Sundance, in the body-shedding horror film "You Won't Be Alone."

"Black Crab" debuts on Netflix on March 18, 2022.