The Northman

This film looks good, sounds good, has the actors to be good, but dissappoints.

Another film that is all about clips that look really good but on watching, it is difficult to feel any real interest in the story coz it is so rambling and jumps about..

Other aspects are just unbelievable, nonsense battle scenes etc.

This obviously was made with a lavish budget, visually it looks great, but it doesn't make up for the lacking of story. I couldn't help but compare this to 'The 13th Warrior' which does have a good story (similar era)

The music, if that's what you call it, quickly began to get on my nerves with the constant 'dirge'.

Another irritance was the weird variable accents, sometimes Scottish, bit of Irish, inconsistant mish mash.

I kept waiting for it to get interesting, but it never did 6/10 just for visuals.

Everything about this movie screams "beastly." Literal screams along with metaphorical ones. It's a beastly movie with a beastly cast giving beastly performances behind a backdrop of beastly cinematography scored with beastly music. Beastly men in beastly fights.

I had a smile on my face for most of the movie. I was fully invested in the story and characters. The directing is top-notch with a style that gives the movie a character of its own. There are so many beautiful shots. And I give it major props for going all out and holding nothing back (we need more R-rated movies!!).

In my review for Dune, I mentioned that so many scenes feel so epic even without action. Regular scenes of them walking are somehow epic. It's the same way with The Northman. It's filled with epic non-action moments, which are heavily aided by the music and cinematography. When this is the case, even the slow parts feel escalated.

The entire cast gives great performances, but I need to single out Anya Taylor-Joy. I want her cast in every movie. She has the acting talent as well as a screen presence and charisma that has you glued to every scene she's in. I've liked her in everything I've seen of hers, which already includes so many great movies like Split/Glass, Last Night in Soho, and Morgan. We're witnessing the birth of a star. It's possible I'm a bit biased due to her being one of the most beautiful women on the planet.

I highly recommend The Northman. If any cinemas in your area are playing it on a premium screen, it's definitely worth it. Unfortunately IMAX is still showing Fantastic Beasts. (2 viewings, opening Thursday EMAX 4/21/2022, Dolby Atmos 5/3/2022)

I hadn't realized this film was directed by Robert Eggers, else I would've been better prepared. It's not what I expected, and it was hard to really get into.

That said, I can appreciate the film for its art. I would say it's a gem for cinephiles. It's like viewing the imagination of a medieval Viking peasant as he listens to a bard tell the tale of Amleth.

Great for what it is, but does not evoke emotional connection to the characters, and therefore feels less satisfying.

Young director Robert Eggers is back at it again with his most recent take on a movie based around vikings, now first of all I have to give full credit to the film when it comes to capturing the brutality of vikings because it is done spectacularly. The film itself is entertaining and the cast delivers great performances all around, this role shows that Alexander Skarsgård has what it takes to be a top tier dramatic actor as he arguably delivers a career-high performance.

Now for people contemplating whether or not they should see the film because Eggers' films so far have been "too artsy" and "not for the general audience" should put their worries aside and purchase their tickets because there isn't much to worry about even though there will be many classic Eggers shots he is typically known for.

As for the small negatives about the film; I felt disappointed in how little we got of Dafoe as he often shines with these types of directors. I do also have to say that the movie isn't exactly how it is shown in the trailers (less action in the final product), some people claim the trailers are superior and even though I enjoyed my time in the cinema I slightly agree with those claims.

If you expect a Gladiator type movie with the depth it comes with, you will be have a disappointing experience, like my wife who rated it a 1/5.

If you expect a gory viking slaughterfest with mythical elements, you will be very happy like me and rate it higher. I honestly did not know what I was in for which made me glad I watched it.

I guess it helps if you like violent gory movies. I suspect my wife only wanted to see a trimmed Alexander without his shirt on and she got that, even though he was mostly covered in guts and blood =)

Some fight scenes are exceptionally nice shot without cuts which makes me wonder if they really did shoot it in one take or used movie trickery. I don't really care as it was impressive.

Did it leave a lasting impression? No, not really. Well worth the movie ticket for me in any case.

But yeah. Not much depth to it IMO.