The Northman

 

The Northman is a historical, medieval, action-thriller. A Scandinavian tale of revenge that follows Amleth, a Viking Prince on a quest to avenge the murder of his father. The film stars and is produced by Alexander Skarsgård. Completing the ensemble are Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ethan Hawke.

The script wasn’t always easy to understand; it was almost Shakespearian. The writing was an interesting choice as William Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was inspired by Amleth. Although the script was not always comprehensible, I did appreciate the usage of the Nordic language throughout. The plot was fast moving and had unexpected twists which I appreciated. I could also see how this story could have potentially even inspired other films like The Lion King, The Sword in the Stone or even Gladiator.

The lighting, cinematography and editing were artistic and creative. It reminded me of Denzel Washington’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, which I also criticized for its symbolism being too convoluted and at times not making sense.

The casting did well in primarily choosing people of Nordic descent. The majority of the cast did a descent acting job and were able to master the accents. My only critiques were in the casting of Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke. Neither were particularly convincing as Scandinavian and just seemed oddly placed. Additionally, the character development was lacking, so I wasn’t necessarily drawn to any one person and therefore wasn’t fully invested in this story.

I had a feeling watching the previews that this movie wouldn’t be that great and in the end, that was confirmed. This is not a movie I would see again nor recommend for others to see. There is much better Vikings inspired content out there.