Review: ‘The Northman’
A masterful tapestry of visual and narrative riches, The Northman is another home run for Robert Eggers, and a brutal, thrilling saga that is truly unlike anything put to film before.
Much has been made about the budget for The Northman, a viking epic from director Robert Eggers. Estimated at $70 million (considerably lower than the $95 million figure going around), it is almost 20 times the amount of the budget on Eggers’ first film, breakthrough Sundance hit The Witch, and more than six times that of The Lighthouse, Eggers’ acclaimed sophomore feature. Many have expressed shock, confusion and awe (in some cases, all three at once) that Eggers was able to command such a budget from Focus Features, the first studio he has collaborated with outside of regular partner A24, especially in a landscape dominated by Marvel and family films. Those feelings will only heighten after audiences finally get the chance to witness The Northman, a heady, violent concoction of arthouse horror and brutal war epic that is just as bizarre and magnificent as Eggers’ first two films. Regardless of whether or not The Northman ends up turning a profit, it is truly a miracle that it exits.
The Northman centers on young Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard), son of King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke) and Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman), who witnesses the brutal death of his beloved father at the hands of his devious uncle Fjolnir (Claes Bang). As Fjolnir takes over his father’s kingdom and his marriage, Amleth escapes to another region, where he grows up to become a Viking warrior, fighting alongside his fellow Vikings and capturing territories in the process. One day, Amleth stumbles upon a mysterious Seeress (Bjork), who reminds him of his dark past and encourages him to seek revenge against his uncle. Alongside sorceress Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), Amleth makes his way to his uncle’s territory, where he works to gain his trust, all while planting seeds of his inevitable vengeance in the process.
Filming in Belfast and on-location in Iceland, Eggers, reuniting with frequent collaborator, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, creates a world that is at once both welcoming as it is unforgiving, colorful as it is drab, fiery as it is cold, as he and co-writer Sjorn weave together a tall, unforgettable tale of revenge that unfolds like the best, most visceral of Shakespearean plays (Shakespeare based Hamlet on the Scandinavian legend of Amleth, which The Northman is also based on). Aided by an irresistibly evocative score from Sebastian Gainsbourough and Robin Carolan, a symphony of harsh strings and eerie sounds that will leave viewers firmly on the edge of their seats, Eggers and co. have weaved together a masterful tapestry of visual and narrative riches that has to be seen in order to be believed.
Alexander Skarsgard, who produced the film alongside Eggers, anchors the film against some of its more fantastical elements, turning in a grounded, quietly devastating performance that is as ferocious in its intensity as it is in its soulfulness. Skarsgard, who has had a string of interesting performances in the past decade, from 2015’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl to 2018’s The Hummingbird Project to his wickedly delightful appearance on the most recent season of Succession, displays an astonishing physical and emotional commitment to the role, delivering a career-best performance that is thrilling in its sheer force and profound eloquence.
Elsewhere, Claes Bang and Gustav Lindh turn in impressive performances as the closest the film has to actual villains, while Anya Taylor-Joy does her best to elevate what is largely, and disappointingly, a rather underwritten role; her character Olga isn’t given much of a backstory (or agency, for that matter). However, thanks to Taylor-Joy’s natural warmth and undeniable presence, Olga ends up being the closest thing the film has to a warm, beating heart.
Ultimately, though, it is Nicole Kidman who leaves the biggest impression as Amleth’s loving mother Queen Gudrun, who has much more to her than initially meets the eye. As Queen Gudrun’s arc slowly unfolds throughout the course of the film, Kidman is a force to be reckoned with, bringing hard-won determination and a quietly powerful authority that many other actresses would have struggled to conjure up to the same degree. Audiences won’t be able to keep their eyes off of her; she hasn’t been this alive, this effervescent, on-screen in years and it is an absolute joy to behold.
All in all, The Northman is another home run for Eggers, one of the most exciting and original voices in film today, who basks his audience in strong, heavy winds and harsh temperatures, daring them to embark on this brutal, thrilling saga that is truly unlike anything put to film before.
Rating: 5/5
The Northman will be released in theaters in the UK on April 15, 2022 and in the US on April 22, 2022.