The Northman Film Review by American Director, Robert Eggers

American director Robert Eggers is best known for his two indie horror films, The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019). The Witch follows a Puritan Christian family from England who moves to North America and experiences various kinds of magical terrors. Meanwhile, The Lighthouse, tells the story of two lighthouse keepers on a deserted island who slowly lose their sanity due to the claustrophobia that possessed them.

From the two films, it is very clear that the director is a horror specialist. But for the film The Northman, Eggers away from horror to try a new challenge, making a historical epic film.

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The Northman actually cannot be separated from the traces of horror Eggers. There are several things from his previous two films that return in The Northman. One example is in terms of production design which is authentic and according to the setting of place and time (same as The Witch). In addition, the cinematography is also unique and captivating like The Lighthouse. However, don't worry, there are also many things that are different from The Northman.

The Northman tells of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a Viking prince who is thirsty for revenge due to the heinous deeds of his enemy. In order to fulfill his lust for revenge, he transforms himself into a fearless valiant warrior. Actually the summary plus the name Eggers is enough to attract people's attention to watch it. Unfortunately, the trailer and official summary from the marketing side of this film actually contain spoilers about important points that force Amleth to follow the bloody path.

The plot point can actually be a surprise or a separate plot twist for the audience of this film. If you've read the official synopsis, it won't be difficult to guess the storyline of The Northman. If not, we suggest you don't try to touch the synopsis because it will reduce the enjoyment of the film.

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The choice to open up from the start could have been Eggers' plan to make this film a cinematic experience, not a subject of discussion, focusing on Amleth's life journey. If that's the intention, to be honest the journey is a bit too long and feels less stomping because of the lack of surprises. For writers, not all audiences will enjoy this style of storytelling because their sense of epicness is reduced.

Although there are shortcomings in terms of storytelling which are sabotaged by the marketing itself, The Northman can still be enjoyed. Various kinds of things in this film, in terms of casting, acting, music, production design, and also cinematography, are of very high quality. These things are able to bring this film to an epic level that is "enough" but "bearing".

In terms of cast, The Northman is filled with top actors who may be familiar to many people and all of them provide stunning acting performances. Alexander Skarsgard (Godzilla vs. King Kong, Big Little Lies), as Amleth is able to show various kinds of emotions and expressions that are conveyed well to the audience. He managed to portray a character who tries to be tough but is filled with anger and uncertainty within himself.

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Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Peaky Blinders, The Queen's Gambit) also performs well as Olga, a Russian Slav shaman who accompanies Amleth towards a better future. Apart from these two, there are still other actors and actresses such as Ethan Hawke (Before Trilogy, Moon Knight), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!, Big Little Lies, Lion), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Lighthouse) who all provide various kinds of performances of different nature, from intense, dramatic, to strange. A little warning, you will find some of the names above appear naked.

All the acting is packaged in a Viking world that looks real, authentic, and historical thanks to the production and set design that refers to the history of the 9th century European Vikings. Every costume, weapon, and building that appears is really made through in-depth research. This is supported by the ethnic music of the Viking era plus cinematography which is able to suck us into the past century. D

Finally, The Northman is a quality film from a technical point of view, showing how Robert Eggers has developed as a director, and how he used all the resources in the production of this film to make an epic film. Unfortunately, the epic feeling is still unsatisfactory because the storyline is mediocre and there is not much excitement for the audience to wait for important moments in this film. You can watch The Northman and Doctor strange 2 on VOD YouTube, Amazon, and Apple TV.