The Northman
Directed by Robert Eggers ( who co - wrote the screenplay with Sjón),The Northmanis a captivating story of retaliation — at least on the surface . A son avenging his father ’s murder is a gruesome affair inThe Northman , with Eggers leaning into Norse mythology and the legend of Amleth , who inspired William Shakespeare’sHamlet . The flick has a lot going for it , rattling struggle scenes and religious mysticism that elevates the protagonist ’s journey , but it is miss in overall character .
Young Amleth ( Oscar Novak ) is thrilled that his father , King Aurvandil War - Raven ( Ethan Hawke ) is back , celebrating a victory against an foe . Aurvandil believe it ’s fourth dimension for Amleth to become a man , and so he guide him to Heimir the Fool ( Willem Dafoe ) , a jester and priest , to begin his training . However , everything changes for Amleth when his founding father is attacked and killed in front of his eyes and his mother , Queen Gudrún ( Nicole Kidman ) , captured . long time later , an adult Amleth ( Alexander Skarsgård ) seeks to retaliate his father and deliver his mother , lead him on a journey to regenerate his category ’s honor and take back the life that was stolen from him .
Related : Why The Northman Will Be Bigger Than The Lighthouse ( And The Witch )
The Northmanlacks a sense of shade in its characters and in its story . There is very little learned about Amleth follow his father ’s murder or how he came to be found by the Berserkers , a violent mathematical group who attack a village and kill most of its citizenry . It ’s hard to fully be invested in his character when there is n’t much depth to be find there beyond the obvious . Amleth ’s mission is straightforward , but eggar could have done a mass more to push his actions beyond the basic need to kill his father ’s murderer , especially when he learns quite a few thing about the past times he had not be intimate before . To that end , The Northmanfeels likeit barely scratches the aerofoil of its history , leaving the interview with crumb rather than a full feast .
The use of Norse mythology is excellent , however , often unnerve and striking at once . Mysticism is employed to both start and financial aid Amleth in his revenge , which infuses the film with a grand amount of excitement and intrigue each time . Visually , The Northmanis stun , with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke boosting the film ’s vividness pallet with variations on light , shadow , and strike gray tones that inform and influence each scene , as well as Amleth ’s journey throughout . There is a gruesome cruelty to everything , with Eggers going all out in the brutality of it all . The struggle scenes are well - choreograph , with the village coup d’etat specially being a standout as the camera tracks the topsy-turvyness and Amleth ’s own bowel movement without losing sight of the sheer furiousness and heartbreak of the second . It is bally and fill with craze , something which keeps the momentum of the film from plummet .
Alexander Skarsgård really leans into playing Amleth like a beast who is let loose on his prey . His eyes are set , look out Fjölnir , Amleth ’s uncle , with an intensity that hover and never die . The actor is sure as shooting passionate in the persona , though there could have been a bit more done to kick upstairs the emotional aspects of his plight . Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún has a couple of moments that fully allow her character to take shape and Kidman excellently play them exceptionally well . From Claes Bang to Anya Taylor - Joy , the cast gives all they have to make their characters to the full recognize people the interview can understand and even sympathise with on function . If there ’s one matter that could have been given a boost , it ’s the romance between Skarsgård ’s Amleth and Taylor - Joy ’s Olga , which is half - baked at best .
WhileThe Northmanhas a destiny to offer and is quite beautiful and masterful in its execution , there is something lacking . The celluloid begins to meander a spot in the eye before getting back on running and the want of additional fictional character maturation — anything that would have given the film more profundity — preventsThe Northmanfrom reaching its full potential . By the goal of it all , audiences might find they need a bit more from the story , even as they were get into the passion and violence of Amleth ’s retribution so viscerally .
Next : Aline Review : Fictionalized Celine Dion Biopic Is Absurd & Cliché
The Northmanreleases in theaters on April 22 , 2022 . The movie is 136 minutes long and is rated R for substantial blinking violence , some sexual content and nakedness .
Alexander Skarsgård in The Northman
Robert Eggers ' The Northman adapts the ancient caption of Amleth , the basis for Shakespeare ’s play Hamlet . When a young Viking prince ( Alexander Skarsgård ) witnesses his uncle ( Claes Bang ) murdering his father ( Ethan Hawke ) , he flees and cuss retaliation . Returning after years of honing his skills as a warrior , Amleth hunt his uncle in a bloody and brutal fib of retaliation and retribution , hope to rescue his mother ( Nicole Kidman ) .
