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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





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