'The Northman' Review: Robert Eggers' Viking Epic Reclaims Icelandic Glory
R: For strong bloody violence, some sexual content, and nudity
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 16 Minutes
Production Companies: Regency Enterprises, Perfect World Pictures, Square Peg
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: Robert Eggers
Writers: Sjón, Robert Eggers
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, Willem Dafoe
Release Date: April 22, 2022
In Theaters Only
Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
Within the past few years, Robert Eggers skyrocketed to superstardom with his intoxicatingly atmospheric A24 psychological horror features. One can argue that he’s one of the visionary filmmakers who helped create the subgenre of “elevated horror” during the 2010s. Now, Eggers is back with an elevated revenge flick starring VIKINGS!
As his third (and most expensive) feature yet, The Northman positions Robert Eggers in his most traditional form of storytelling. If The Witch and The Lighthouse weren’t your cups of tea, The Northman might be his most digestible feature to date, at least for basic––I mean, mainstream audiences. The story is a traditional revenge flick: a king is betrayed by his brother, so his surviving son vows vengeance. Hmm, I wonder where I’ve heard that before. If you grew up loving either Hamlet or The Lion King… which is essentially an animated Hamlet… The Northman is its rugged, bloodied, drunk Icelandic uncle that confidently shows ‘em both up. Also, after making nothing but Lion King comparisons in my notepad, I learned that the saga of Amleth was the direct inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. So, our boi Robert Eggers gets to reclaim the Icelandic glory of this familiar tale in the form of this movie.
Much like his previous fare, Eggers stylistically evokes a ferocious and unnerving atmosphere through stomach-churning violence instead of horror. Considering how Vikings lived in a world without morals, The Northman explicitly shows you over a thousand ways for a person to get fucking mutilated during this period: stabbings, beheading, being burned alive, ripped to shreds by animals, poisoned, cannibalism. It’s raw, unapologetic, and honest in the depiction of Viking culture. Its gory, violent nature ain’t for the faint of heart but the way Eggers explores it during Amleth’s quest is nothing short of brilliant. The immersive camerawork that personalizes the rollercoaster ride of this prince Viking's life keeps you gripping the edge of your seat, especially during the intricately choreographed action set pieces where pillaging or acts of defiance ensue.
While this does stray from his previous features in terms of tone and structure, its atmospheric visuals and the attention to detail authenticates that it’s still a Robert Eggers joint. Outside of the gloriously raw violence, Eggers paints each scenery with Icelandic culture. From the strokes of abstract and atmospheric visuals to the details on the wardrobe and the language, Northman bathes in faithfulness to the country where this saga originated. Hell, Sjón, writer of the underrated Icelandic slice-of-life flick Lamb, is a co-writer on this. You don’t get more Icelandic than Sjón.
This is Skarsgård’s show and he grips you from beginning to end. Amleth wears his rage on his sleeve, but something about Skarsgård’s performance brings a humanistic aura to him. Part of what makes him so enticing to watch is how he deconstructs and subverts the emotions of the typical Viking man through his expressions. He bears so much pain and instead of leaving all the aggression on the lie with impulse, he strategically plays his cards and internalizes all the anger he mustered up throughout his life. He’s established to be stoic and savage, but the way he emits affection for all he holds dear, whether it’s his mother Gudrún (Nicole Kidman) or his love interest Olga (Anya-Taylor Joy), is written on his face.
Anya Taylor-Joy. AHHHHHH! I’m astounded by just about everything she does, and this is yet another banger performance under her belt. She brings warmth to the aggressive world with a nurturing demeanor, fearless attitude, and impressive maturity that once again expands her range. Her limit knows no bounds because she’s been improving as a performer since she knocked down the door in Egger’s freshman feature.
Outside of the incredibly beefy Skarsgård, the talented ensemble cast give their everything in their performances. Claes Bang is intimidatingly cunning as Fjölnir. Nicole Kidman’s accent is so bad but it's compensated for by a death-defying scene that left me breathless. Even lesser characters who don’t have much screen time leave a valuable impression due to their performers giving A+ effort. For example, Willem Dafoe has one major scene of exposition and then dips, but because he’s Willem Dafoe, he chews that scene up like it’s his bitch and leaves you riveted. Ethan Hawke is so damn charming as Amleth’s dad. The moment he embraces his young son within the first few minutes of the tale is so heartwarming.
The Northman is one of those cases where you know how the story is going to play out and you don’t give a shit, for it is as gripping as it is fucking metal. The detail Robert Eggers and co-writer Sjón put into the storytelling, from the structure to the pacing, keep you on your toes, feeling as if you’re witnessing a moving epic jumping from text to screen. But since this is a wholly original take, it’s even richer than you expect. What can I say? The Northman might be Eggers at his most traditional, yet it’s his best feature, which is saying a lot because he’s created nothing but bangers. He’s three for three right now because this is one of the most epic revenge fantasies I’ve seen in eons. It makes me wanna run to Iceland and grow a beard… and abs.
