The Northman [DVD]

A fateful quest full of bloody violence and spellbinding acting!Director Robert Eggers’ viking revenge epic The Nortman (2022) is truly why we go to the cinema. Eggers’ artful and engrossing direction takes you away to the era of viking raids and the aid of gods. I am in awe at Eggers’ ability to seamlessly go from brutal viking combat with guts and gore to the arthouse haunting imagery of Norse mythology. I really appreciate his respect for Norse history with accurate god lore and viking details all throughout The Northman from superstitious beliefs to sacrificial rituals to gods. The only way The Northman could have been more metal was if Amon Amarth’s melodic death metal were playing in the soundtrack.Whether Amleth is cutting off heads or chopping off limbs to getting mysterious warnings of his fate, I was delighted and absorbed into The Northman’s bloody vengeance and mystic ways. Eggers can direct enchanting spells to horrific swordplay with sheer grit and gripping determination. The Northman is as innovative and visually striking as Eggers’ previous films The VVitch and The Lighthouse. The smoky entrance to The Gates of Hel was fascinating just like Eggers using the ancient spelling of Norse words. I was deeply enthralled as Eggers’ astoundingly creative direction made The Northman’s massive 137 minute journey feel like half that length for me. The Green Knight wishes it was this fast paced and exciting as The Northman. The Northman is one of the year’s greatest pictures.Writers Sjón and Robert Eggers deliver a fearsome revenge narrative that is essentially Hamlet and The Odyssey, but with vikings and spells. I love the simple elegance of Amleth’s story. You always know to focus on him and how he’s reacting to innocents affected by his uncles’ cruel enslavement of his kin to his heart understandably melting over Anya Taylor-Joy. The romance plot is endearing and gives Amleth the humanity he is deprived of as he’s destined for revenge of his father’s brutal murder since he was a boy. I appreciate the deep mythology and viking lore in Eggers’ world. The use of Norse lore to imbue Amleth with a fate from Odin is very interesting. I kept thinking about the creation of Amleth’s Night Blade sequence and the Valkyrie ride to Valhal among other brilliant sequences written into The Northman’s majestic visuals.Alexander Skarsgård is feral as the imposing viking Prince Amleth. He is heroic as he slashes and stabs through enemies like he is Beowulf himself. Skarsgård embodies a gigantic stature with ruthless fury, righteous indignation, and hulking physique. I do not think I’ve ever seen a more fit actor. His rippled abs are a sight to behold themselves. He’s certainly handsome, while also portraying the most masculine protagonist in film history. Besides piercing you with his deep blue eyes and peerless attack choreography, Skarsgård is compelling as Amleth with sorrowful gazes and an inner anguish. You feel his pain with every look at his familial foe and each glance of romantic longing and pity for Anya Taylor-Joy’s witch Olga. I found him a fantastic viking hero right out of folklore. Alexander Skarsgård impressed me in Melancholia and Big Little Lies as he further staggers me with his jaw-dropping commitment to acting in The Northman.Anya Taylor-Joy is enchanting as the Russian witch Olga of the Birch Forest. Her ethereal beauty is only matched by her dramatic acting prowess. You believe her pain, fury, concern, and romance with her graceful acting. Anya is very subtle, but you always know how Olga feels, which is crucial to her emotional Earth witch character. Anya Taylor-Joy has real romantic chemistry with Alexander as well. She gives him these looks of longing and understanding that bear an internalized empathy. She is marvelous in The Northman. Her every knowing glance and look of contempt for her enslavers is palpable. Anya Taylor-Joy delivers one of the year’s best performances from an actress. She continues to astonish and endear herself as one of the greatest actresses of her generation.Nicole Kidman is lovely and brilliant as Queen Gudrun. Her shocking monologue is delivered with intensity and malice with Kidman in peak dramatic form. She proves yet again why she’s one of our greatest actresses ever. Claes Bang is fearsome and wicked as the wretched villain Fjolnir the Brotherless. Ethan Hawke is outstanding as usual as Amleth’s father the viking King Aurvandil War-Raven. His fatherly advice and doting attitude are wise and sweet. Meanwhile, Hawke nails Aurvandil’s brutal ways and captivating gravitas that a king must wield like a blade to ensure confidence from his people.Gustav Lindh is excellent as Thorir the Proud. He plays an easy to loathe blowhard. Willem Dafoe is funny as the zealous Heimir the Fool with his old speech and intense manner, especially for the crowning ritual of manhood. Eldar Skar is funny as Finnr the Nose-Stub. It’s surprising how many laughs Eggar can squeeze out of this guy. Olwen Fouéré is eerie as the foreboding priestess Ashildur Hofgythja. Oscar Novak is quite moving as Young Amleth as he bears witness to his father’s assassination and must row away from his life chanting his oath of vengeance. Ingvar E. Sigurðsson is creepy as the blunt He-Witch in the cave that Amleth visits.Björk is fascinating as the Seeress with her wispy voice and strange hand movements. She was always a magical Icelandic alternative heroine, so it’s wonderful to see her again in The Northman. Ian Whyte is cool and haunting as the spectral Mound Dweller. Katie Pattinson is fierce as the Shield Maiden, while Rebecca Ineson is nice as Halla the Maiden. Kate Dickie is mean and harsh as Halldora the Pict. Ralph Ineson’s cameo as Captain Volodymyr is neat as he was an incredible lead in Eggers’ indie horror film The VVitch. His deep booming voice is as commanding as a seafaring vessel’s captain should be and he’s got a great haircut for The Northman. Ineta Sliuzaite is captivating as the Valkyria with her piercing blue eyes and platinum blonde locks.Louise Ford’s editing keeps scenes hypnotizing with a steady pace and smooth cuts. From sword strike to strike with fluid coherence so you can follow all the action hit for hit to gentle cuts for conversations that keep you involved in Robert Eggers’ viking world. I love the neat transitions for dream sequences and spacey visions that feel like another part of the same scene. Louise Ford’s editing is starkly realistic, yet dreamy and atmospheric all at once. Jarin Blaschke’s breathtaking cinematography will have long takes for combat that sweeps across a battlefield or intimate close-ups for the tender expressions of love and remorse. Having the camera pretty much always following Amleth lets us see his hero’s journey on his quest for revenge as his hatred brews and swells up into vicious bladed assaults on his foes. Many of Blaschke’s close-up shots will stay with me forever.Producers Arnon Milchan, Mark Huffam, Alexander Skarsgård, Lars Knudsen, and Robert Eggers really managed to get $70 million for The Northman and it looks like a $300 million movie. If only more studios would trust indie directors with medium budgets and if audiences would give these artful entertaining films a chance in theaters. Craig Lathrop’s production design recreates viking strongholds, villages, and temples with an active volcano for good measure. Niamh Coulter’s set decoration features cool Odin shrines and wooden and metal props for the village furnishings and weapons. Everything looks period accurate and meticulously detailed. Even Amleth’s engraved sword is killer.Robert Cowper, Paul Ghirardani, Hauke Richter, John Merry, Archie Campbell-Baldwin, and Christine McDonagh’s art direction brings out the beauty of Iceland’s calm grassy plains and harsh icy spaces. The magical elements like the valkyrie ride and Valhal opening up in the sky are as effective and stunning as Odin appearing among ravens. Visual effects artists Angela Barson, Wendy Garfinkle, and Reetu Aggarwal provide captivating CGI for visions in eyes, surging lava, and a flying valkyrie ride you must not miss. They do more with $70 million than most blockbusters ever could.Composers Sebastian Gainsborough and Robin Carolan deliver eerie atmosphere melodies and sudden pounding drums for The Northman’s thrilling score. I love the older Swedish and Icelandic folk music that thrusts into the pulse pounding main rhythms as the action ramps up into frightful hand to hand combat. Sound designers James Boyle, James Harrison, and Steve Little make every sword swinging shimmer, axes clang, and blood curdle as flesh is cut open by blades. The gushing entrails pouring forth from gaping wounds and oozing blood seeping from stabbed holes sound squishy and grotesque. I loved hearing the echoing voices for the gods and witch spellcasting.Costume designers Linda Muir and Louise Cassettari craft ornate robes and layered viking armor with gilded fringes. I love the blue dress on Anya later on in The Northman. The Odin traveler outfit is perfect for mythological accuracy to the valkyrie’s armor and helmet. Kyra Panchenko’s make-up gives every man a full beard and completely new look with cute braids on all the ladies’ hair. I can see fans recreating these looks from The Northman for sure.In conclusion, The Northman is one the best pictures from 2022 with astonishing direction, gripping performances, and thrilling action. Robert Eggers simply does not miss with three classics under his viking belt already after The VVitch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman.

Yeah this is a story that's been told a thousand times...as HAMLET! This is based on the original Icelandic legend of Amleth and a true Norse epic.

An A24 director and the best beowulf adaptation ever made. What more could you ever want?

If you have seen previous films by this director, you will be happy with this. If historical accuracy matters to you in films, then this will satisfy you thoroughly. Cultural norms and ritual is realistically portrayed for the first time in a film. The religious elements are portrayed in a way that would be realistic to those living in that place and time. The brutal and ugly aspects of Viking society are fully on display. If I had any criticism, it would be that the film is aiming to please too wide of a mainstream audience. Though, ironically, I think the mainstream viewer will still not be satisfied because of the lack of constant action.

I was blown away. This movie singlehandedly made me feel the rage and sorrow of thousands of forgotten years of human generations in several scenes. It was unique. I've never drowned sorrow in the ale of my anger before in a movie, and I love the ambivalence I felt as an emotional creature, but an aggressive man. Nothing is comparable. I had to force myself to feel aggressive to get past the terror. It changed my whole outlook on life. BTW. This is the son.

As a child Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) watches his King and father (Ethan Hawke) murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang) to get the throne and his mother (Nicole Kidman). He swore vengeance to fulfill the prophecy. He escapes as a child and returns as a slave.The plot was Shakespearean and included elements of the supernatural. It is epic in nature except the plot dragged in too many places. The characters were not fun. Didn't like the Frodo/Gollum ending.Guide: sex and nudity.

I rarely write reviews because I have a life but the Northman by Robert Eggers blew me away so I had to take the time to review it. It is said to be the most accurate Viking movie to date, it also delves into Nordic mysticism and the cinematography can only be described as magical.Now let's talk about the actors, every actor and I mean everyone of them were perfectly cast, especially Alexander Skarsgard, he was born to play this part. The movie has a stellar cast of Willem Dafeo, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang and Anne Taylor Joy, to name a few and they all brought their A game.Watch this movie, if you are tired of the same old same old, Hollywood formula movies and want to watch a master at his craft. Robert Eggers has a fan for life and I frankly cannot wait to buy a ticket to his next movie.

too long, too boring.... who cares. a story that's been told a thousand times gets a facelift. and yes it is stunning and the actors do a good job delivering whatever it is they were after, but what an unnecessary film. Let's do away with all this fantasy mythic quest garbage and get back to basics... don't waste your time or money on this one