Universal Pictures presents The Northman in cinemas now.
Synopsis
From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
Review
To witness a Robert Eggers film is to witness a reverence for cinema that disregards many of its most boring conventions. One only need watch The Lighthouse to understand Eggers is an auteur who will scarcely compromise on his striking artistic vision. With The Northman, Eggers has taken all of his punk attitude to filmmaking and magnified it to the tune of a $90 million budget.
After exiting my screening of the 136 minute epic I struggled to string together a sentence for some time. I struggled to even muster the words for a tweet reaction, unsure of how to put in words the experience of witnessing the film.
The Northman isn’t unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s story takes inspiration from the same Norse myth that influenced Shakespeare in the writing of Hamlet. Its story beats are familiar and the direction of travel is at times predictable. But its dedication to accuracy and its colossal scale and scope are undeniable.
Beginning in 895 AD, a young Amelth (get it… move the H to the beginning) awaits the return of his father, King Aurvandeil (Ethan Hawke). Young Amelth (Oscar Novak) and his mother, Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman), are soon reunited with their injured monarch and his brother, Fjolnir (Claes Bang). The injured Aurvandeil decides that it is time for his young son to begin his journey to becoming rule and the two undertake a Viking ritual with a spiritual shaman, Willem Dafoe.
From here The Northman is easily summed up with the mantra spoken by young Amelth in the film’s trailer. “I will avenge you, father. I will rescue you, mother. I will kill you, Fjolnir.” After witnessing the death of his father at Fjolnir’s hand, Amelth escapes to another land and the film jumps ahead a number of decades.
Amelth (now Alexander Skarsgård) is part of an animal skinned tribe of traditional Vikings. He’s also so indescribably muscled that it would be impossible for anyone in the audience not to feel inadequate. He hides in plain sight, raiding nearby villages and pillaging them for all they are worth. His tribe is ferocious and Eggers rejects any attempt to glorify or sanitise the experience. It’s during one of these raids that we first see Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy). Her village is mostly destroyed by Amelth’s people. Olga, along with other survivors are sold on as slaves to neighbouring Viking leaders.
Thanks to a cameo from Bjork, Amelth hears that Olga is to be sold to Fjolnir. Amelth turns his back on his people, disguises himself as a prisoner and travels to Iceland. It transpires that in the years following the film’s prologue, Fjolnir has lost King Aurvandeil’s kingdom and taken shelter in remote farmland. Here Amelth plans to exact his revenge and carry out that mantra.
There’s an almost religious dedication to Amelth’s mission. He does so in the name of metaphorical Norse gods who loom very large over the film’s culture. Eggers avoids venturing in to pure fantasy, keeping the gods off camera but their influence omnipresent. Eggers script, co-written with Icelandic poet Sjon, pulls no punches when it comes to Viking culture either. Where a series like Vikings romanticised the period, Eggers legitimately represents the harsh nature of living in the Viking-era. Life was hard. It was brutal. Women weren’t warriors in arms fighting alongside the men. There’s a lack of diversity which flies in the face of contemporary Hollywood, yet carries a historical accuracy that remains essential.
Eggers’ ethos also informs the landscapes of The Northman. It isn’t all snowcapped mountains, ice plains and barges. Though those aspects exist in Eggers’ world, they are complimented by luscious green fields and fiery volcanoes. In this respect the film treads new ground, bringing a new credibility to historical storytelling.
The Northman features an impressive mix of both practical and CGI effects. It’s clear that practical effects were required to immerse the cast in the film’s story. Sets are exquisitely constructed and filled with an abundance of fine detail. In many ways The Northman is like a truly disturbing but technically superior documentary.
The production is capped by an Oscar-worthy score from composers Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough. It’s bombastic, filled with heavy drum beats and razor sharp strings. Its originality is pulse-pounding and yet somehow remains beautifully melodic.
Verdict
The Northman is epic and unparalleled, the magnum-opus in Eggers’ already trailblazing career.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
