The Northman (2022) ***1/2
While it's good to see that a $70–90 million budget hasn't stripped Robert Eggers of his trademarks, The Northman (2022) is undoubtedly my least favorite of his three features so far (my reviews of The Witch (2015) here and The Lighthouse (2019) here).
There is no denying the gorgeous cinematography by Jarin Blaschke, who shot both of Eggers' other features, and the cast is solid all around (though I found the accents a trifle distracting), but the oft-told tale—the legend of Amleth—(or similar versions of it) has been adapted/interpreted so many times before that it felt a bit too familiar.
I appreciate that The Northman isn't merely battle scenes and offers a bit more in the way of characters but these archetypes are so well-worn that it was difficult for me to connect wholeheartedly. Each act of the film has something exciting to offer and, despite being an epic of sorts, the film still feels smaller and personal in scale. But in between those exciting bits, there are definitely sections that lag. Furthermore, this masculine revenge fantasy has been portrayed enough times that there aren’t all that many cinematic surprises.
I really enjoyed the more dream-like visions that crop up now and again and I wish that The Northman had been a bit more hallucinatory all around. The filmmaking on display is top notch; I just feel a bit cold on the story.
Recommended for fans of Conan The Barbarian (1982) (review), Valhalla Rising (2009), and The Revenant (2015) (review).
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