Skip to main content

The Northman

 A review by Forrest Humphrey

With only two prior films under his belt, Robert Eggers has already managed to stake his claim on the world of cinema. 2015's “The VVitch” and 2019's “The Lighthouse” both served to establish him as a major player in the horror genre thanks to his unique blending of horror with painstakingly accurate period pieces and keeping the audience guessing as to whether or not the supernatural elements at play are real or not. Both films are also beautifully shot and wonderfully atmospheric with excellent performances from both new emerging stars and established actors. 

2022's “The Northman” is Egger's third film, and sticks to most of these trends perfectly. Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy and Claes Bang, with supporting roles from Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe; Eggers weaves a story set in the viking age. A story of revenge drenched in gore and allusions to classic Norse mythology. Eggers was not shy about how brutal and unpleasant this era of history was, making the entire affair as bleak as his previous efforts while still delivering the kind of visceral action sequences one should expect from these kinds of characters. The score and cinematography are also to be commended. The film is absolutely beautiful to look at with the kind of natural lighting Eggers loves to employ in his films so far, and plenty of shots to display the countryside in all its uniquely harsh beauty. The music, likewise, fits perfectly with its driving drums, ethereal horns and haunting vocals to create suitable epic or creepy moods.

Though one thing that caught me by surprise, without spoiling anything, is the film is more straightforward than his previous two. Strictly speaking, while it gets quite creepy and plenty disturbing, its not a horror film. Its a straight punch revenge epic, albeit with a couple of good twists. That's not to be counted against it, just something to note if one expects another surreal horror film like Egger's previous efforts. 

I do have a few nags that keep me from giving this a perfect score, which I can't say without spoiling. But I still heartily recommend “The Northman”. Its another big win for Robert Eggers and further establishes his as a career worth following.

Rating: 4.5/5





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this.  This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...
1 comment
Read more

Forgotten Film Friday: Melinda and Melinda

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich I know Woody Allen is a complicated figure. He is a creep in a lot of ways and some people find his sexual weirdness to be too much. I get that. But on the blog I sometimes like to separate the art from artist. Not always to be sure. Jeepers Creepers will never be covered here because Victor Salva is a useless piece of human garbage. What he did I can't ignore. Allen I can push aside him being weird to cover him now and then. It's hard to write a film blog and not mention a Woody Allen film now and then. The man has some bangers. And I've always wanted to cover this film. The concept is so interesting and Allen post 2000 is fertile ground for Forgotten Film Friday. So let's look at the film and not Allen himself.  Melinda and Melinda is a dual narrative about a woman named Melinda, an underrated and brilliant Radha Mitchell, who shows up unexpectedly at a dinner party in New York. The film questions if life is inherently tragic or comic a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ranking every Tintin comic

A ranking by Brooks Rich In order to expand the blog a little, we'll sometimes cover other media besides films. Film will still be our bread and butter but the blog will also cover tv, music, comics, books, and other forms of media. To start it off I will be ranking all 21 main comics in a beloved series of books form my childhood, The Adventures of Tintin. Created by Belgian cartoonist Herge, Tintin, who has literature's greatest cowlick, is a reporter who travels the world with his faithful dog Snowy, the best fictional dog of all time, chasing bad guys and sticking his nose in other's affairs. Tintin is often joined on his quests by Captain Haddock, his most trust human sidekick. I credit Tintin and the Hardy Boys for my current love of mystery novels. Ranking the 21 main Tintin comics is far more doable than ranking the original Hardy Boys runs. As a quick note I will not be counting the unfinished Tintin and Alph Art or Tintin in the Land of the Soviets or Tint...
Post a Comment
Read more