Movie Review: Spectacular, Bloody, Violent, and Complex, 'The Northman is a Must See

Director Robert Eggers decided he wanted to make the definitive movie about Vikings and with The Northman he did just that. In scope, scale, performance, complexity and visual splendor, Eggers has made THE movie about Vikings. You can decide for yourself if that is a thing you want to experience but just know, the definitive movie about Vikings now exists and it is called The Northman, directed by Robert Eggers and starring Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor Joy.

The Northman tells the story of Amleth, the son of a King (Ethan Hawke), King Aurvandill, who is murdered by his own brother, Fjolnir (Claes Bang). Fjolnir then tries to kill young Amleth, who manages to escape, while Fjolnir takes the King’s wife, Amleth’s mother, Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman), as his trophy. Though a child at the time of this, Amleth vows that he will avenge his father, rescue his mother, and kill his Uncle Fjolnir. This vow becomes his life.

Cut to some 20 years in the future. A now grown up Amleth has been raised by a feral group of Viking warriors that time has come to call ‘Berserkers.’ The reputation of Vikings is often based on the actions of Berserkers who murdered indiscriminately and with great violence while satisfying their whims as they saw fit. The concept of pillaging is in part based on Berserkers. At this point in the story of The Northman, Amleth has begun to forget his past and the vow that led him to become a violent, hulking monstrosity.

In the wake of their latest pillaging, Amleth meets a woman called The Seeress (Bjork) among the burned remains of a building Berserkers had set on fire with women and children inside. The Seeress hands Amleth a frozen tear, one he’d shed himself during a ritual with his father and a crazed shaman, played by Willem Dafoe. The Seeress reminds Amleth of his vow of revenge and tells him how his vengeance will be carried out with a cursed sword at the side of a lake of fire at the Gates of Hell.

By an unexpected coincidence, some of the people the Berserkers did not kill are being sold as slaves to none other than Fjolnir. No longer a King, Fjolnir now operates a farm in Iceland with his two sons and Amleth’s beloved mother. Stowing away among the slaves, including a beautiful Slavic Sorceress, Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor Joy), Amleth makes the treacherous journey toward his revenge. He will act as a slave, locate his cursed sword, and await the Lake of Fire for his vengeance.

Where The Northman goes from there, you will need to see for yourself in this incredibly dense and complex story of revenge, violence, myth and lore. Elements of the supernatural, the spiritual and a touch of Shakespeare all bubble up throughout this incredible story that still feels grounded in a recognizable, tangible and visceral universe. Director Robert Eggers co-wrote the screenplay for The Northman with Icelandic historian and author Sjon and with the goal of creating a definitive Norse mythology that might bring an end to some of the Viking stereotypes brought about by American popular culture.

For my money, they were incredibly successful. This feels like a definitive take on the Viking Legend. This feels like a corrective to years of horned helmets and leather clad and bearded warriors. Those existed but Vikings were a richer mythology than what our American popular culture would lead you to believe. The Northman places Vikings in a new, more nuanced context that includes the horrific violence and the terrors of slavery and subjugation but also adds complex spiritual, supernatural, and traditional motivations.

Alexander Skarsgard is incredible in the role of adult Amleth. In a podcast interview, Robert Eggers talked about how physically imposing Skarsgard is, which makes him perfect for the big action of the movie, but also about his eyes which carry a childlike sadness, horror, and innocence, as if the boy who fled for his life is still there in the eyes of the adult Amleth. Indeed, Skarsgard’s eyes do as much or more than his words or actions. You can see the deeply set trauma of his youth in his expressive eyes and it’s incredibly compelling.

The legend of Amleth is a real Icelandic Viking legend and one that inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet. Now, Eggers calls upon the influence of Shakespeare to add weight to the cinematic retelling of Amleth’s legend. This includes shaping the role of Amleth’s mother, Queen Gudrun, as a Lady MacBeth figure. Nicole Kidman is such a brilliant actress that she is able to share the screen and enhance the performances around her while showing immense movie star flair and powerhouse charisma.

Claes Bang and Anya Taylor Joy round out the main cast and they too are exceptional. Joy is an otherworldly figure who communicates her witchy character with such immense simplicity. It’s unclear just how much power she actually possesses but much like a great story, she has an aura, a reputation that does as much or more work than seeing her actually perform spells or incantations ever could. She seems Witchy and mysterious and that makes her witchy and mysterious.

Claes Bang is an amazing character actor on the rise. He’s older but he matches the physicality and presence of Skarsgard in every way. At a certain point, Fjolnir isn’t the villain we thought he was and much of that comes from Bang’s skillful performance and a script smart enough to allow for something more than a simple good versus evil story. All of these characters do horrible things but they do them with their own, very specific motivation that doesn’t require hours of monologues but rather, the simple demonstration of purpose.

They why of motivation matters and it underlines the unfolding, seemingly inevitable, tragedy that drives the entire story of The Northman. And all of this is true while the movie never slows down in presenting action and violence that is stunning in its brutality, shocking in its aftermath, and viscerally compelling in its presentation. The Northman is a spectacularly visual action movie, bloody and impactful, gorgeous and grotesque all in one package.

The Northman opened in theaters nationwide on April 22nd, 2022.