The Northman Review

 

The Northman is a epic historical action drama film based on the legend of Amleth. The movie is produced by Regency Enterprises, Perfect World Pictures, New Regency, and Square Peg and distributed by Focus Features. The Northman is written by Robert Eggers and Sjón and directed by Robert Eggers.

The story is young prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man. All that changes when during a trip with his father, when Amleth's uncle attacks them. After so many years, Amleth has returned to keep his vow of avenging his father, saving his mother, and killing his uncle.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this movie was because the trailers made the film look really awesome. Then I was hearing many positive reviews, and I was even more pumped.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. So let's move on.

Middle Ground

Got nothing for this section, so let's keep moving.

Pros

One spectacular thing about The Northman is how they showed just how brutal the world was back in 895 A.D. The filmmakers gave us a savage world, I'm convinced nobody ever died of old age. You either got shot with arrows, stabbed in the face, or sliced up during a pillaging. Even a simple sports game turns violent. What also elevated the quality of the film was the performances. I could pick a favorite or favorites, but with this everyone was really great. Alexander Skarsgård pretty much disappears when playing Amleth, Anya Taylor-Joy was amazing. Hell, even people who weren't even in the movie that long like Willem Dafoe do an incredible job. The next thing I'll praise is the cinematography. Even though there's not that much to the landscapes, Jarin Blaschke still managed to show off how beautiful they are. So if you're a fan of the cinematography he did for The Lighthouse, he's definitely not gonna disappoint you here, and after seeing what he did with those films, I'm definitely gonna see what he does with M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming movie, Knock at the Cabin. Another amazing thing regrading The Northman is the action. There's not that much of it, but when it does show up all you're gonna say is "Holy Sh*t"! Seriously, when it came to the fight scenes, nothing was held back. Cause if someone's gonna get messed up, the movie's not gonna shy away from it. You're gonna see exactly what happened, whether you like it or not. The other aspect that made the film amazing was it's revenge story. I'm all for the main character going on an absolute rampage filled with bullets and explosions, but what made this revenge story was how patience Amleth is, and how he psychology torments his uncle. Because of that approach, you're left wondering what messed up thing is gonna happen next. The last thing I'll praise the film for is Robert Eggers' directing. I'm gonna keep it brief, cause I don't think my words could do him justice. What I will say is there's this gorgeous shot of Valhalla that could've made for a spectacular painting.

The Northman is a film you should go see right now, or make plans to see. It's got a really intense world, amazing performances, top notch cinematography, brutal action, a great revenge story, and stunning directing from Eggers.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Ambulance, The Bad Guys, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and now this. Man, I ended April with a bang. Hopefully May also brings some greats as well. But that's all for me. Come back on Monday, May 2nd for my A Look Back at review of, Doctor Strange. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.