Robert Eggers directed one of my favorite movies of all time The Lighthouse, and I thoroughly enjoyed his 2015 debut, The Witch. Eggers, in just two movies, has cemented his name amongst the greatest and most artistically prominent directors working today, and with The Northman, he only harnesses vision even more.
SYNOPSIS: 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 raids Slavic villages. He soon meets a seeress who reminds him of his vow -- save his mother, kill his uncle, avenge his father.
It’s been said numerous times that the story this movie tells has been told over and over again throughout the years in different ways, and while i do think that is true - and the originality of the story itself is certainly not the high point of the film - the methodology in which the story is told is what makes this so captivating and fresh. Eggers directed this movie with a vice grip, every single frame feels controlled and purposeful in its artistic vision and storytelling. I kept thinking during the first act of this movie just how much of this I had felt like I had seen story wise (The Lion King etc.) but how I had never seen it be told this way.
Most movies I watch I feel as if I gradually lose interest by the third act, but with this, the longer it went on the more and more I kept getting invested. The second act turns into a vengeful, creatively sadistic story circling Amleth’s revenge for his family, and the way he executes his revenge is so calculated and well-crafted, that it genuinely came off like a horror movie. It’s almost like watching a little mini The Witch during the third act, and I was enthralled by it.
The cinematography here was mind blowing, and there were certain shots that I just couldn’t believe. Seeing Eggers get a bigger budget than his previous two films, and watching how he gets to play around with that was delightful. The takes are long, and meaningful, and they make the world feel well/rounded and lived in effortlessly.
The way the action is filmed here is how every action film should do it; long, wide takes that exert practical stunt work, and that aren’t trying to hide anything or mask it with overdone CGI. There’s a town raid in the first act of the film, and the majority of it is done in just a few long takes, and I couldn’t believe what I was watching. The final battle as well was captured so effectively, showing all the choreography in all of its glory.
Alexander Skarsgard gives the best performance I’ve seen from him in this film. His animalistic behavior as the “bear wolf” is truly a sight to see in some scenes, and his physical presence is glorious to watch in the battle scenes. Nicole Kidman gives an unhinged performance as the Queen, and I wasn’t expecting to see her character develop the way she did. Anya Taylor Joy does a great job as well, I love it when a director frequents an actor/actress in multiple films.
Even though the story was one I had felt I had seen in some ways, I was so effortlessly entertained and invested in it. There’s a romance between Skarsgard and Anya Taylor Joy's character that I wasn’t overly fond of, but it makes sense in the context of the story. I just felt as if it sort of came out of nowhere and the film would’ve been better off without it.
I also thought the antagonist of the movie wasn’t as fleshed out as he could’ve been, a lot hinges on the investment you hold with the revenge plot, but Skarsgards performance and the hardships he endures throughout the movie serve as the vehicle for investment for me at least.
The Northman is easily one of the best films of the year, and it’s a shame it performed so poorly at the box office. More films like this need to be made with visionary directors and meaningful filmmaking; films like this are truly saving cinema, and I can’t wait to see what Eggers does next.
8/10
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