The Northman (2022)

Robert Eggers hits his difficult third chapter after impressing us so vividly with The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019). Whilst inevitably The Northman, with its Vikings, blood, and gore will inevitably appeal to the mainstream, (especially those of a lower IQ that love Game Of Thrones for its violence, nudity and dragons alone) arguably for the first time in Eggers career, there is enough evidence in The Northman to recognise it as an Eggers vehicle. Whether that’s enough to raise it as high as his previous work, is up for debate. It’s certainly his most simplistic in terms of elementary plot; Alexander Skarsgard’s Amleth vows vengeance on his uncle after he witnesses the murder of his Father (and King, Ethan Hawke) and kidnap of his Mother (Nicole Kidman), whilst he is a young boy. Years later, Amleth tracks his Uncle to a godforsaken volcanic island where he is aided in his quest by Olga (a magnificent Anya Taylor Joy). There’s plenty to get your teeth into during The Northman’s near two and a half hour run time (Amleth quite literally does during one breathtaking battle sequence) and at no point did I feel that the film glorified violence, or that its unrelenting male strength is amplified to the point of distraction- both criticisms that have been aimed at the film. These foibles in particular, seem especially ludicrous when the film is so steeped in historical fact, and when it comes to doing your homework in that department, Eggers is frequently at pains to prove the films accuracy. Sure, the films release is unfortunate to come at a time where the brutality of war is on our various screens on a daily basis, but the fact that Russia has invaded Ukraine doesn’t make The Northman an offensive film. On occasion it comes across as an art house romp, there are several visionary sequences (many are a result of sequences with Willem Dafoe and Bjork) and other worldly discussions of destiny and the like, but in the end, for all its unmistakable impressiveness, Eggers third feature feels frustratingly hollow. The Witch was one of the best horror films I’d seen in years, and The Lighthouse was a madhouse of compelling and gripping dialogue with an edge that carried throughout, but The Northman is almost too simplistic, with its supernatural air not as intriguing or chilling as Eggers’ predecessors. That’s not to say it isn’t worth seeing on the big screen however, if at all possible. 7.2/10