The Northman: A Viking Epic Fit For Valhalla
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's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle, and avenge his father.
Imagine the savage barbarism of Conan The Barbarian, the grand scope of Andrei Rublev, the slow meditation of The Green Knight, and the mystical bloodshed of Valhalla Rising all rolled into one, and you’ll be close to capturing the feeling of Robert Eggers’ The Northman. It’s a gnarly big-budget blockbuster that boldly swings for the rafters and oozes an old-school grandiosity, akin to films like Gladiator, Braveheart, The Last Of The Mohicans, or The Mission. Rest assured, The Northman is a Robert Eggers film through and through, one that’s punctuated with slight echoes of his previous work (particularly in Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe’s supporting roles) and whose massive budget (of $90 million) and sweeping scale haven’t wavered the sturdy, steady-handed auteur one iota.
This grand and gory tale of viking revenge is Eggers’ largest project to date, and (thank the gods) very little gets lost in the expansion (even though the film’s production and studio interference has seemed to have worn Eggers thin). If anything, The Northman loses the intimacy and emotionality of Eggers’ smaller chamber pieces, occupying a middle ground, tone- and mood-wise, between The VVitch and The Lighthouse; it never quite reaches the deliriously unhinged heights of its predecessors, but it offers the kind of genre thrills that meets or exceeds them. Despite the searing-hot vengeance that pumps through its veins, there’s a coldness and a distance to its threadbare narrative, and a stony stoicism to the performances. This is appropriate given this is a film in which more blood is shed than teardrops, but it’s something that also makes The Northman harder to connect with emotionally. But the stunning scope, hypnotic atmosphere, and sheer spectacle of it all manage to sweep you up from moment one.
The story goes exactly where you’d expect it to, more or less, but Eggers and co-writer Sjón add some interesting twists into the latter half that complicate the hero’s journey and bring the narrative to a compelling boil. They hit their genre beats on cue and with vigor, and they lace the whole journey with so many breathtaking set pieces, quirky side quests, and intoxicating mysticism that it never, at any point, loses its feral grip. The film’s crowning achievement, narratively speaking, is how it seamlessly blends viking reality with Nordic mythology; it’s firmly rooted in reality, but it gives itself the license to slip into the ethereal or otherworldly at any time. There are moments in which characters deliver soliloquies of exposition that don’t quite jive with the whole, and it stumbles a bit, clumsily, toward its inevitable conclusion of mostly naked, fire-and-brimstone swordplay, but the ride is by and large calculated and smooth.
Eggers’ direction is as strong as ever. The film is continually elevated by its many long takes, a directorial decision which helps to better immerse the viewer into the film’s world and events (in the same way that Emmanuel Lubezki does in Children Of Men, Birdman, or The Revenant, which is a compliment to Northman DP and Eggers regular Jarin Blaschke). The film’s use of animals is another Eggers hallmark, and it adds ravens and foxes to the burgeoning animal farm of Eggers’ oeuvre. Here, the animals represent fylgjur, a spirit in Norse mythology that accompanies one throughout their lifetimes, as well as the greatest Norse god of them all, Odin.
The performances are another notable aspect, and pretty much everyone delivers the goods. Alexander Skarsgård’s prince Amleth is the backbone of the film, and he goes full beast mode here, exuding an animalistic rage that propels his quest for bloody retribution. Claes Bangs, Ameth’s uncle, is the perfect foil, and he delivers a sinewy performance as the villain. Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe have small roles, but they make the most of their screen time. Hawke, in particular, really needs to work with Eggers again, as he seems to really have a grasp on how to play the material. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Skarsgård’s accomplice and love interest, and she imbues the film a sense of grace and heart. Nicole Kidman feels the most out of place, but when the time comes for her big narrative moment, she absolutely crushes it.
For better or worse, The Northman completely abides by Nordic mythology and revenge genre tropes as its heads toward its logical conclusion of bloodlust. It makes no attempts to really reinvent the revenge sub-genre or subvert audience expectations, but it delivers the kind of badass and bloody thrills that you’d hope, in a sort of viking greatest hits. It might not ring your bell like The VVitch or The Lighthouse, but it’s certainly an achievement deserving of a place in the great mead hall in the sky. At the end of the day, Odin approves.
Recommendation: Whether you’re a fan of Robert Eggers or just up for an epic tale of bloodshed and familial honor, definite give The Northman a watch. It’s one of the year’s strongest efforts so far and every bit the Eggers film you’d want/expect. The film will hit theaters on Friday, 4/22.
Got bloodlust for more?! Check out the links below:
The Lighthouse review
Podcast discussion of The Lighthouse
Podcast discussion of The VVitch
The historical accuracies of The VVitch: character
The historical accuracies of The VVitch: costume & set
The historical accuracies of The VVitch: dialogue
The historical accuracies of The VVitch: mythos
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!