God of War (2018 film)

God of War is an American fantasy drama film produced by Santa Monica Studio and distributed by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Directed by Cory Barlog, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Sophos and Richard Gaubert, it is the fourth installment in the God of War film series - the sequel to 2010's God of War III -, and it stars Christopher Judge as Kratos alongside Sunny Suljic, Jeremy Davies, Danielle Bisutti, Alastair Duncan, Robert Craighead, Adam J. Harrington, Nolan North and Troy Baker.

Described by Barlog as a reimagining of the franchise, God of War is rooted in Norse mythology, with the majority of it set in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard, unlike previous films, which were loosely based on Greek mythology. For the first time in the series, there are two protagonists: Kratos, the former Greek God of War, and his young son Atreus. Following the death of Kratos' second wife and Atreus' mother, they journey to fulfill her request that her ashes be spread at the highest peak of the nine realms of Norse cosmology. Kratos keeps his troubled past a secret from Atreus, who is unaware of his divine nature. Along their journey, they encounter monsters and gods of the Norse world.

God of War was released worldwide on April 20, 2018, receiving universal acclaim for its story, production design, art direction, music, cinematography, and characters, in particular the dynamic between Kratos and Atreus. Many critics felt it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors. It received a number of perfect review scores, tying it with the original God of War as the highest-rated movie in the series on the review aggregator Metacritic. The film performed well commercially, grossing over $670 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the series.

The film received numerous awards and nominations, with fifteen nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards. It won Best Picture, in addition to Best Director for Barlog, Best Supporting Actor for Davies, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects. A novelization was released in August 2018, followed by a prequel comic book series published from November 2018 to February 2019. An untitled sequel is currently in development, scheduled to be released in 2021.

Setting
While the first trilogy was loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment transitions the series to Norse mythology, taking place several decades after God of War III. Six of the nine realms of Norse mythology are explored. Predating the Vikings, most of the film takes place in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard, which is inhabited by humans and other creatures. It is the same realm in which the Greek world exists. As more dangerous creatures began appearing, many humans fled. Other realms visited as part of the story include Alfheim, the mystical home of the light and dark elves; Helheim, the icy land of the dead; and Jötunheim, the mountainous land of the giants. At the center of the realms is the mythical tree Yggdrasil, which connects each realm. Although each realm is a different world, they exist simultaneously in the same space. Travel to and from realms can be done by using the Bifröst from a root of Yggdrasil contained within a temple at the center of the Lake of the Nine. The temple was created by the now dead Týr, a peaceful God of War who traveled to other lands and learned about their mythologies; Odin had him killed as he believed Týr was secretly aiding the giants and would try to overthrow him.

Characters
The film's protagonists are Kratos (Christopher Judge) and his young son Atreus (Sunny Suljic). Kratos is a warrior originally from Sparta who became the Greek God of War and is a son of Zeus. After ending up in ancient Scandinavia following his war against Olympus, he met his second and now deceased wife, Faye, who died from an unknown cause. She bore their son, Atreus, who does not know about Kratos' past or his divine nature but can hear other beings' thoughts. The main antagonist is the Æsir god Baldur (Jeremy Davies), the half-brother of Thor, whose sons Modi and Magni (Nolan North and Troy Baker, respectively) assist him. Baldur's parents are Odin, the Allfather and King of the Æsir, and the Vanir goddess Freya (Danielle Bisutti), the former Queen of the Valkyries. Freya tried leaving Odin, as she did not truly love him. He in turn stripped her of her Valkyrie wings, banished her to Midgard, and cast a spell on her that prevented her from causing harm to others and from leaving the realm. She then hid her identity under an alias, the Witch of the Woods. To protect her son from a prophecy that foretold his death, Freya cast a spell of immortality on Baldur, which also prevented him from feeling pain or pleasure. The effects of the spell caused Baldur to greatly resent his mother. The only thing capable of harming him was mistletoe, a fact which Freya kept secret.

Other characters include Mímir (Alastair Duncan), who claims to be the smartest man alive, and the Huldra Brothers, Brok (Robert Craighead)) and Sindri (Adam J. Harrington), dwarves who assist Kratos and Atreus by forging new gear. Weapons forged by the Huldra brothers, including Thor's hammer Mjölnir, were used by the Æsir gods. They also forged Kratos' Leviathan Axe, which originally belonged to Faye, who also gifted Kratos her Guardian Shield. The spirit of the Greek goddess Athena (Carole Ruggier) makes a cameo appearance, and Zeus (Corey Burton) appears to Kratos as an illusion in Helheim.

Plot
Many years after Kratos' defeat of the Olympian gods, he now lives with his son Atreus in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard. After cremating the body of his wife, Faye, and after a short hunting/survival lesson with Atreus, Kratos is confronted by the Stranger, a mysterious man with godlike powers. The two battle and Kratos seemingly kills his opponent, after which Kratos and Atreus begin their journey to honor Faye's last wish: to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in the nine realms.

Reaching the Lake of the Nine, the pair encounter the friendly World Serpent, Jörmungandr, the last remaining Giant. When they find their path blocked by impenetrable black mist, the Witch of the Woods appears and instructs them to use the Bifröst to travel to Alfheim and secure its Light to extinguish the mist. Successful, they reach Midgard's peak and overhear a conversation between the Stranger (revealed to be Baldur), Modi, Magni, and the imprisoned Mímir. After they leave, Kratos and Atreus confront Mímir, who reveals that their goal is in Jötunheim, but the Giants have blocked travel there to keep out Odin and Thor. Knowing of another passage, Mímir instructs Kratos to behead him and have his head revived by the Witch of the Woods, whom he reveals to be Freya upon resurrection. Kratos' longstanding hatred of gods causes him to immediately distrust her, but both Freya and Mímir warn him that he must tell Atreus about his true nature.

In search of components to open Jötunheim's portal, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir are attacked by Modi and Magni. After Kratos kills Magni, Modi flees but later ambushes the protagonists. Kratos fends him off, but Atreus collapses, suddenly ill, due to the contradiction of a god believing himself to be mortal. Freya offers to help Atreus and instructs Kratos to retrieve the heart of a specific troll in Helheim; however, his frost-based Leviathan Axe is useless in the icy realm. Kratos returns home to unearth his old weapons, the fiery Blades of Chaos, and is haunted by Athena's spirit. After retrieving the heart, he has a haunting vision of Zeus, and Mímir pieces together Kratos' bloody past. Freya revives Atreus and Kratos tells him that he is a god. Atreus becomes increasingly arrogant and, against Kratos' orders, murders a weakened Modi, who was beaten by his father Thor for leaving his brother Magni to die. At Midgard's peak, Kratos and Atreus are ambushed by Baldur, resulting in Jötunheim's portal being destroyed and the group falling into Helheim.

Atreus makes amends with Kratos, and they learn of Freya and Baldur's familial relationship as well as the immortality spell that she cast on him. Returning to Midgard, Mímir realizes there is another way to reach Jötunheim, but he needs his missing eye. After obtaining it from Jörmungandr's belly (the eye was contained within a statue of Thor that the World Serpent swallowed) they are attacked by Baldur again, but Freya intervenes. During the fight, Baldur is pierced by Atreus' mistletoe arrow, breaking Freya's spell. Baldur is defeated, and despite being given an opportunity to retreat, he attempts to strangle Freya, forcing Kratos to kill him. A grieving Freya swears revenge and taunts Kratos about hiding his true nature. Kratos finally tells Atreus about his own past and how he killed his fellow Greek gods, including his father, Zeus. Atreus laments this cycle of violence, and Kratos tells him that they should learn from their experiences and not repeat the mistakes of their predecessors. A silent Freya leaves with Baldur's corpse, and Mímir hopefully suggests that she will eventually move on and realize that Kratos did the right thing.

In Jötunheim, they find a temple with a mural depicting their adventures, showing that the Giants had vaguely foretold the future. In addition, they discover that Faye was a Giant who decided to stay behind in Midgard, meaning that Atreus is half Giant, one-quarter god, and one-quarter mortal. Their fight with Baldur was shown, revealing that he was after Faye the whole time but was unaware that she was deceased. It is also revealed that Atreus was named Loki by his mother. Kratos and Atreus then fulfill their promise and spread her ashes at the peak, overlooking a valley of Giants' corpses. Afterward, Kratos reveals to Atreus that his given name was that of a compassionate Spartan comrade. Returning to Midgard, Mímir warns them that the three-year-long Fimbulwinter has begun, meaning Ragnarök (which was not supposed to occur for another hundred years) is soon to follow. In a post-credits scene, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir return home and slumber. Atreus has a vision that Thor will arrive at the end of Fimbulwinter to confront them.

Cast

 * Christopher Judge as Kratos
 * Sunny Suljic as Atreus
 * Jeremy Davies as the Stranger / Baldur
 * Danielle Bisutti as the Witch of the Woods / Freya
 * Alastair Duncan as Mímir
 * Robert Craighead as Brok
 * Adam J. Harrington as Sindri
 * Nolan North as Modi
 * Troy Baker as Magni
 * Carole Ruggier as Athena
 * Corey Burton as Zeus
 * Elizabeth Knowelden as Pesta
 * Sara Cravens as Valkyrie Hildr

Development
Development on the next God of War feature began in 2014. This was confirmed by Santa Monica Studio's creative director Cory Barlog on December 6 that year, saying the film was in very early development, and that it would not be a prequel, but possibly a reboot. In April 2016, concept art was leaked that showed images of Kratos in the world of Norse mythology, a concept originally considered by franchise creator David Jaffe after Kratos eliminated the Greek gods. The film official announcement came at the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with a teaser trailer that confirmed the setting. The trailer showed a fully bearded Kratos teaching his son how to hunt; the pair also battled a troll. The end of the trailer showed the title God of War. The E3 announcement also confirmed that Barlog had returned to the franchise as director for the new installment. Since the original 2005 film, Barlog has been a major contributor in the development of the franchise, previously most notably as the director of God of War II; this new installment was his fifth God of War movie.

Barlog said the film was titled God of War with no numeral or subtitle because, although it was a continuation of the series, "we ... [reimagined] everything." Head of Santa Monica Studio, Shannon Studstill, and Barlog said that Sony Interactive Entertainment had to be convinced to do another God of War film, as many people at Sony wanted the series to "sleep and rest". In explaining why Barlog was brought back, Studstill said he knew the franchise very well, "and bringing in someone that understands that history is the respect the series deserves." Barlog responded, "You gotta know the rules to break the rules." Franchise creator David Jaffe was also considered but was unavailable.

Pre-production
In explaining the transition from Greek mythology to Norse mythology, Barlog said: "It's kind of this BC–AD change over kind of thing. We're moving and starting from zero and kind of moving forward on that." Before settling on Norse mythology, Egyptian mythology was also considered. Barlog said that half of the studio was for it, but because Egypt has "a lot more about civilization – it's less isolated, less barren", he decided on the Norse setting to keep the film focused on Kratos. Barlog explained further: "Having too much around distracts from that central theme of a stranger in a strange land." To explain why Kratos was now in the Norse world, Barlog said that different cultures' belief systems coexisted, but they were "separated by geography", suggesting that Kratos traveled from Greece to Norway (Scandinavia) after the conclusion of God of War III. Clarifying the conclusion of that film, Barlog said Kratos did not destroy what was believed to be the entire world, but only the portion ruled over by the Greek pantheon. Barlog said the new film predates the Vikings as it takes place in the time when their gods walked the Earth. It was also confirmed that this would not be Kratos' last film. Barlog said future installments could see the franchise tackling Egyptian or Mayan mythology, and although this film focuses on Norse mythology, it alludes to the fact there are other mythologies co-existing in the world. Barlog also said he liked the idea of having different directors for each film as had happened with the first three. He said that although he might not direct another God of War, he would still be at Santa Monica to work on future movies.

Characterization
During early development, there was talk of having a different protagonist for the film. Some of the team said that Kratos was "annoying" and felt Kratos' story had run its course. Barlog explained that Kratos had to change his cycle of violence and learn to control his rage. He said Kratos had made many bad decisions, which led to the destruction of Olympus. He wanted to know what would happen if Kratos made a good decision. The birth of Barlog's own son influenced the idea of Kratos' character change. The bond between Kratos and his son is at the heart of the film. Barlog said, "This film is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again." Referencing the Marvel Comics character Hulk, Barlog said that in regards to Kratos, "We've already told the story of The Hulk. We want to tell the story of [Bruce] Banner now." One of their goals was to make Kratos "a more nuanced and interesting character." In changing the narrative focus, Studstill said, "I think we inherently knew the franchise needed to evolve in that emotional beat and be something meatier for the older generation of fans."

Christopher Judge replaced Terrence C. Carson as of Kratos; Carson had played Kratos during the original trilogy. Commenting on the change, Carson said, "Sony went in a new direction." Carson later explained that he understood the reason for the actor change and that Judge's casting made sense for what Sony was wanting to do. He also said that losing acting jobs is part of the business, but he did feel a lack of respect as he was not contacted by anyone at Sony to be informed of the change. In explaining the actor change, Barlog said that Judge was chosen because he was 6-foot-3 and had the body of a professional football player. He was also chosen because of the chemistry with his then-10-year-old co-star, Sunny Suljic, whose opinion was also sought in making the decision; out of all the auditions, he liked Judge the most. The two bonded well, and Judge described his time with Suljic as time he had missed with his own children. In stepping into the role of Kratos, Judge took it as an opportunity to add something new to the character. He researched the character and Carson's performance but decided not to imitate it. Since Santa Monica was going in a new direction, he decided to start fresh. Judge was thrown off when he first read the script, saying it "was a real script," and not just "a way to get into set pieces," which is why he decided to take the role. He said, "it was really this great story of this relationship and this crazy mythology." Stuntman Eric Jacobus did Kratos' combat stunts; Jacobus was found by God of War 's animators on YouTube. Instead of going directly to Santa Monica to audition, he recorded an audition tape and sent that in and was hired immediately. Former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard also performed some of the stunts.

During E3 2016, FilmSpot mistakenly reported that Kratos' son's name was Charlie, which Barlog laughingly denied. In January 2017, after a fan downloaded the God of War overture and saw the track's details that said, "An introduction to Kratos and Atreus", Barlog confirmed on Twitter that Atreus was in fact the son's name. Barlog said Atreus was unaware that Kratos was a demigod and did not know about his past. They did not reveal details of Atreus' mother before the release because she was a critical part of the story. The studio experimented with several different approaches for Atreus to ensure he was an empowering presence. Their goal was for Atreus to enhance Kratos' capabilities without becoming a liability. Production designer Carlo Casella said it took a lot of iterations with Atreus to make it all work together.

Early in development, it was suggested that Atreus be cut, or his role significantly reduced. Barlog stated the film could have worked without Atreus, but it would have been completely different. Barlog said that with just Kratos, it would have been "one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won't understand anything anybody's saying." After hearing Barlog's case, Sony gave him the freedom to incorporate Atreus. Casella also noted that Atreus allowed for "significant storytelling opportunities that might not otherwise [have been] possible." After God of War was revealed at E3 2016, it drew comparisons to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, a film that also featured a father-child type story. Barlog felt it was "fantastic" to be compared to that film and found it odd that some people considered the similarities a negative thing. Although he did not directly state they were influenced by The Last of Us in developing God of War, he did say, "I think we're all inspired by each other."

Filming
Most of the crew that worked on the original God of War worked on the new installment. The entire film was done in a single shot with no camera cuts. With regard to the camera style, Barlog said he wanted a more intimate experience; about forty percent of the studio did not originally agree with this decision due to the increased work and production to implement the feature, especially since this was the first time that a one-shot technique was being used for a high-budget, blockbuster film. This meant Barlog had no examples to show if this would work or was a good idea. (The only other film to fully utilize this technique was the independent film Senua's Sacrifice, which also began development in 2014 and was released eight months before God of War.) After filming was finished and the studio got to watch through it, Barlog said they finally understood his vision and said it was a feature they should use from now on. Barlog had originally pitched the idea for a one-shot camera while he was at Crystal Dynamics working on 2013's Tomb Raider, but he was turned down. Sony, however, was much more supportive of Barlog's creative ideas. Furthermore, Barlog and Casella were also influenced by the Resident Evil franchise, particularly Resident Evil 4 's "combination of poised camera exploration and scavenging" and Resident Evil 7 's "strong vision" from a studio making "bold decisions, and actually having the audience follow them." Barlog noted how there was initial disagreement over the camera distance. He wanted it close whereas the producers wanted it further away, like the Assassin's Creed and Arkham games; he eventually convinced them to go with a close camera. Explaining Kratos' axe, Casella, who had worked on the franchise since the original film, said the axe was chosen because they wanted a more grounded direction for the film. Initially, they were unsure how to make it unique. After they came up with the concept of throwing the axe and having it return to Kratos, "things started to fall into place." Casella said that combat with the axe was a little slower than with the Blades of Chaos, "but it's just as fluid and just as brutal as it's ever been." Barlog took inspiration from Dark Souls for the film's approach to storytelling. In addition, designers Anthony DiMento and Luis Sanchez revealed how God of War 's world design was influenced by Bloodborne (2015).

Post-production
Unlike the previous movies, Santa Monica did not make a teaser specifically for public release. Barlog explained that doing so would have delayed the film by a couple of months. In late December 2016, Barlog confirmed the film was watchable from start to finish, and later said its length would be around 120 minutes. A new trailer was shown at E3 2017, featuring new scenes and characters. In it, Kratos was shown using a shield that he could use offensively and defensively. At one point, Kratos finds a Greek vase with himself on it, wielding his infamous double-chained blades. During the trailer, an unnamed woman warned Kratos about the Norse gods, as they knew what he did to the Greek gods, while a pair of wolves were also shown. The trailer ended with Kratos and Atreus encountering the World Serpent. Atreus was able to translate what it said, which was that it wanted to help the pair. It was confirmed that the film would release in early 2018. Until the film's release, Santa Monica included a section on the God of War website titled "The Lost Pages", detailing some of the lore of God of War 's Nordic world. In January 2018, the film's release date was confirmed for April 20, 2018. A trailer was also released that showed that the character Mímir from the mythology would have a role in the film. God of War was announced to be completed on March 22.

Music
God of War (Soundtrack) was released on April 20, 2018, by Sony Classical Records. It was composed by Bear McCreary, who is best known for his work on films like Defiance and Assassin's Creed Syndicate (as additional composer in the latter). McCreary was called into Santa Monica Studio in November 2014 to meet with music producers Peter Scaturro and Keith Leary to discuss "a secret project". Ideas of folk music, mythology, Nordic ethnic instruments, vocal writing, and classical thematic development were discussed; McCreary correctly guessed that the discussions were about a new God of War. McCreary met with Barlog early on to discuss his narrative vision for the game. After meeting with him, McCreary felt the franchise was in good hands because God of War II, which Barlog also directed, was his favorite installment.

During the initial discussions, McCreary realized he needed to compose completely new music for the game and not reuse any previous music from the franchise. He said that although he loved those films, he "would not describe them as emotionally dynamic." Based on his memory of the earlier films' music, however, he was inspired by their sounds, such as "deep choirs, pounding drums, and shrieking brass", and reinvented them for the Nordic setting. To ensure the music represented the setting, McCreary spent months researching and listening to Viking folk music, which resulted in him using "exotic instrumentation and languages from various Northern European folk traditions." He also wanted the score to be huge and varied, "full of peaks and valleys, tiny incantations and gigantic set pieces." The main Kratos theme in particular features low orchestral instruments, an Icelandic choir, deep male vocals, powerful female vocals (in particular Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir), folk percussion, and Nordic stringed instruments, like the nyckelharpa and hurdy gurdy. The track "Witch of the Woods" uses a renaissance and baroque instrument called a viola da gamba, which is an ancestor of the modern cello. The Stranger's theme, found in the track "Deliverance", uses a Hardanger fiddle.

The first theme composed for the film was "Memories of Mother". McCreary said the theme itself was not originally for Atreus' mother Faye but was for Kratos himself. His initial sketches were different variations of this melancholy tune. After the film had gone into full production, McCreary and the studio realized it was "too sad and lyrical to represent Kratos." McCreary stepped away from this theme and focused on writing a new one, or what he called the Kratos Theme, which he felt was more representative of the character: "masculine, relentless, and badass". He spent several months working with Barlog, Scaturro, Leary, Sony music director Chuck Doud, and the rest of the studio to make this new theme. McCreary described it as "arguably one of my most structurally satisfying and catchy melodies." After further scoring, McCreary realized that Faye would require a theme, and his original one was "exactly [what] I needed." This melody was woven throughout several scenes and is featured as prominently in the film as Kratos' theme. The three-note Kratos theme is most obviously heard in the title track, "God of War".

When it was decided that God of War would be revealed at E3 2016, Sony wanted McCreary to perform his original score with a live orchestra at the press conference. McCreary opened the show with the new main theme before the unveiling of God of War and performed the teaser trailer's music live during the presentation. On January 13, 2017, a live recording from E3 2016 of God of War 's overture was released for a limited time free of charge. Barlog released the overture as a thank you to fans for God of War 's E3 2016 trailer reaching fifteen million views on YouTube.

Theatrical
The film was released in theaters worldwide on April 20, 2018.

Home media
In addition to the standard base movie, there were three special editions: the Stone Mason Edition, the Collector's Edition, and the Digital Deluxe Edition. Only available in the United States and Canada, the Stone Mason Edition came with several physical items, including: the base film in a SteelBook case, a 9-inch (230 mm) statue of Kratos and Atreus created by Gentle Giant, 2-inch (51 mm) carvings of the Huldra Brothers, a horse, and a troll, an exclusive lithograph, a cloth map, a stone mason's ring, and a keychain of Mímir's head that talks. The Collector's Edition came with many of the same items, minus the ring, the keychain and the carvings of the horse and troll. The Digital Deluxe Edition came with all the digital content. U.S. and Canadian customers also received a Kratos and Atreus [pin for pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe Edition.

Box office
God of War grossed $348.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $322.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $670.5 million. The film remained at the top of box-office chart for six consecutive weeks through April and May. It grossed over $2.8 million in its first week on theaters in Japan, which placed it at number two on the box-office chart. The game grossed over $188 million worldwide within the first three days of its release. The film was the highest-grossing film of the month. In total, the game grossed over $432 million in its first month. At the end of its box-office run, the film had grossed over $670 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise.

Critial reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a perfect approval rating of 100% with an average score of 9.2/10 based on 118 reviews. It received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic] tying it with the original God of War for the highest score in the franchise. It was the highest rated film of 2018 until the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in October, which pushed God of Warto second. God of War received particular praise for: its art direction, design, music, story, use of Norse mythology, performances, and overall feeling. Many reviewers felt it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors.

The story was well praised. Nick Plessas of Electronic Filming Monthly (EGM) said the story's most memorable moments were the interactions between Kratos and Atreus. He also noted, "there is often some comic relief to be found when Kratos' curtness and Atreus' charming naivety collide." He felt the presence of Atreus showed a side to Kratos not seen before, and that Kratos had evolved emotionally: "The rage and pain of his past is in constant conflict with his desire to spare his son from it, which comes across in even the most subtle actions and words, demonstrating the effort he is putting in." Plessas said Atreus' character was similarly complex. He commented it is easy for child characters "to succumb to a number of annoying child archetypes," but Atreus is more like a young man who is doing his best in an adult world.Film Informer 's Joe Juba similarly praised the story, particularly the relationship between Kratos and Atreus: "The interactions of Kratos and Atreus range from adversarial to compassionate, and these exchanges have ample room to breathe and draw players in." Juba said that Kratos conveys more character than in any previous game. Peter Brown of FilmSpot felt that although Kratos and Atreus were enjoyable, it was Mímir who stole the show. He also said that regardless of which character the protagonist meets, the cast of God of War is "strong, convincing, and oddly enchanting." Writing for Film Revolution, Jason Faulkner praised Barlog for creating a sequel that new viewers would be able to understand without having watched any of the previous films, while at the same time providing story references to those past films that returning fans would appreciate. Speaking of the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, Faulkner wrote that, "Watching the two grow throughout their journey is incredibly rewarding," equating it to that of Ellie and Joel from The Last of Us or Lee and Clementine from Telltale Films' The Walking Dead.

Writing for Polygon, Chris Plante praised the camerawork as a technical marvel. Juba said the decision to shift the camera closer to Kratos "[proved] immensely rewarding during big moments by giving [the audience] an intimate view." In his review for IGN, Jonathon Dornbush felt the intimacy of the camera makes all the emotions "more real and impactful." Speaking of the film's visuals, Faulkner said the film looks amazing, "and with 4K and HDR this film goes a step beyond what even films like Horizon Zero Dawn showed us was possible." Brown noted that "God of War is a technical and artistic showcase. It is without a doubt one of the best-looking feature films ever released." Dan Ryckert of Giant Bomb claimed that games like Horizon Zero Dawn "made great cases for a 4K screen, but God of War 's visuals are a bigger selling point than anything I've seen to date."

In terms of flaws, Plessas said that "God of War is so good that its most egregious failing is not letting the audience see more of it". Juba said that "God of War 's momentum rarely falters, and when it does, the inconvenience is brief." Brown felt that if anything in God of War was a letdown, it was the final fight against Baldur: "He's great from a narrative standpoint, unraveling in a manner that changes your perspective, but it's the fight itself that leaves you wanting. There are plenty of battles and tests of skill throughout the course of the movie, yet this fight doesn't reach the same heights, and feels like it was played a little safe."

Sequel
An untitled sequel is currently in development and is set for release in 2021.