The Northman
★ ★★ ½
The Northman became one of my most anticipated films of 2022 after I was stunned by director Robert Eggers's first two films, The Witch and The Lighthouse. (I just realized that he really likes the word 'the' in his titles). Eggers showed himself to be a new auteur in the film industry and when I heard about how ambitious this film was going to be, I absolutely couldn't wait. My expectations were probably set too high. The Northman is visually amazing to look at but I found the story to be more straightforward than in his other films. He's always had the knack of adding mystery to his stories and was always two steps ahead of the audience. Not this time. It's as if the scope of this story made him lose a bit of his edge.
Being more upfront with his themes is possibly what he was going for with this Viking tale, but despite having a bigger budget, I was looking for themes on a grander scale. In a lot of ways, The Northman is a very self-contained movie that mainly takes place in one area of its countryside. Alexander Skarsgård is a perfect fit for the lead role, but I had a hard time transporting myself into this world despite the dog barking, brutal violence and mysterious witchcraft. There's a lot to appreciate and there are many memorable moments (in particular a new yard game that I've never seen), but the themes of revenge and legacy didn't resonate with me. I think Eggers is better off presenting puzzles than emulating a Shakespearean tragedy.
