Rent The Northman on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Sjón & Robert Eggers
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A Viking prince undertakes a quest to avenge his father's murder.
Verdict
The ancient Viking tale on which this is based also serves as the basis for Shakespeare's Hamlet. While the story isn't new, this movie never feels like the typical Hollywood movie. This isn't a noble prince trying to reclaim the throne, and that's unfortunately what other movies make this story. I like what this does with the story and the mood. The story never proceeds quite like you expect, and it feels like a horror movie for most of the run time. It also strives for authenticity which makes this just a bit more gruesome. Like all of Egger's movies, this creates such a striking mood, and it's a mood you need to experience.
Watch It.
Review
After Eggers first movie, The Witch, I've wanted to see whatever he makes. His movies strive for an accuracy that helps bolster the mood. This movie feels more mainstream, as the pace isn't as slow as The Witch or The Lighthouse, but it still has his distinct style. I was curious to see what he does with a much bigger movie.
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| Alexander Skarsgård plays Amleth |
Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) wishes to avenge his father's death. This sets up his story when he's a boy and then skips ahead to adult Amleth. Just that transition is notable as the camera dollies from the bow of the ship through men rowing as we wonder which one is Amleth. When the camera lingers on one man, we know that must be Amleth as he's also wearing a necklace he had as a boy.
The movie communicates visually, avoiding exposition. I wondered what happened to Amleth in the intervening years. We don't really know, though he now seems to be a Viking pillager. Typically the Hollywood version of this story would have Amleth as the noble prince on a quest to return to his throne. This movie breaks that image quickly as we see Amleth pillage a village. No excuses are made that he's trying to fit in or biding his time.
Eggers doesn't conform to conventions which make his movies a lot of fun. Each scene is more about emotion and feel than what is said. You could watch this movie without any dialog and still have a good sense of what's happening. That makes this movie more of an experience. With such a focus on period accuracy, the few times we step into Amleth's head make those scenes all the more jarring and effective.
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| Alexander Skarsgård plays Amleth |
Amleth has been consumed by vengeance. He doesn't want to reclaim the throne, he wants blood. Nothing will deter him of that. This movie doesn't try to make him likable or try to make the usurper king more of a villain. A character tries to dissuade Amleth later in the movie, but it doesn't matter.
I assumed this movie would take a turn and push Amleth to re-examine his motives. This takes a much bigger turn than I thought. Amleth is given all the reasons to relent, but it's too late for him. The run to the climax is so foreboding and grim. Amleth's quest for revenge has been re-framed. He's not fighting for the cause he thought, but nothing will change his course.
Eggers consulted multiple historians to make what we see authentic. At one point we see a valkyrie. They are the angels of death in Norse mythology. It really looks like this creature is wearing braces, but it's actually a custom where vikings would grind grooves into their teeth.
The night scenes do seem like they were filmed in the day and digitally altered. They just look strange.
The story is interesting enough, but it's the mood this movie creates. You need to experience that mood.
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