The Northman

The Northman was Robert Eggers on 'roids. This is what happens when Eggers get a studio-sized budget. He gets to indulge his whims - extended ritualistic sequences, long shots with a large cast, a large cast of extras to lend further credence of authenticity, and an extravagant, period-specific production design that allowed for gorgeous natural-esque lighting. In all, an immersive and engrossing historical epic. No wonder Shakespeare was inspired by the legend of Amleth to create Hamlet (come on, even Hamlet is an anagram of Amleth).

The film was fantastically anchored by the charismatic and magnetic Alexander Skarsgård with great support from a fearless Nicole Kidman, an equally commanding villain in Claes Bang, an all-in Ethan Hawke and a surprisingly restrained Anya Taylor-Joy. Björk and, Eggers' staple Willem Dafoe, were essentially cameos but, boy, were their moments on screen utterly memorable. 

The story was familiar and has been retold in countless variation, most notably by Shakespeare as Hamlet, but what Eggers did was to boldly imbue and enrich the script, that he co-wrote with Sjón, with both the language and legends of Old Norse. The magical realism and fablistic retelling of the revenge epic was brought to life with a mix of CGI, gorgeous cinematography, haunting score and uncompromising direction. 

Although the film did meander a bit during the second act, but the strong first act lent it enough goodwill to trust that Eggers will bring it home in the third act - a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy to be honest. However, once the final act kicked in, we were in for a ride as secrets spilled and blood were shed. Ultimately culminating in an ending that had the cheesiest SFx of the film and inevitably echoed Star Wars (especially since Obi-wan Kenobi was running on Disney+ too).

Audiences familiar with Hamlet would more or less be aware of how the story of Amleth would end. Therefore, what Eggers did successfully was to make that journey interesting enough to hold the attention. But also, the casting was crucial, and no other actor could have been in that role other than Skarsgård. 

Skarsgård was not only physically imposing and impressive as the bear-wolf (another hah!) savage ex-viking Prince, but he had a silent charisma that demanded attention. As he hunched and hid, somehow Skarsgård managed to look small and unassuming. But when he stands tall and fight, he was fierce, confident and terrifying. 

It was a bit surprising to hear that Kidman was cast as Skarsgård's mother, but that role required a ferocity and nakedness that not many of today's actresses seemed to possessed. Kidman's one main scene was a standout as she was equal measures terrifying, seductive, manipulative, vulnerable and scared.

As aforementioned, the rest of the cast were spot on, and with The Northman, Eggers has shown that he does have an eye for casting the characters that he has created/envisioned.

Undoubtedly this film, like Eggers' previous films, will be more of an art-house/indie favourite rather than to the general audience, because despite the budget and the studio-backing, it was still essentially a film that relied on richly written characters that wrestled more with internal conflicts rather than a Nordic, action-piece that the marketing seemed to want the audience to think it is.