The Northman

Inspired by the same Scandinavian legend that Hamlet is based on, The Northman is an epic historical Viking movie from Robert Eggers. Eggers tells the story of Amleth, a Viking prince played by Alexander Skarsgard, who witnesses the murder of his father by an uncle who takes the throne, leading to Amleth vowing to avenge him and rescue his mother. Years later he has been taken by a different tribe of Vikings and has become a berserker taking part in raids and brutal battles. Hearing about his uncle being overthrown and exiled to Iceland, and upon being told of a prophecy that his revenge will come, Amleth sets out to look for his uncle by getting into a slave ship and pretending to be one. Once he gets to his uncle's farm, and with the help of another slave played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Amleth plays the long game to enact his revenge that all leads to supernatural events, long held revelations, lots of blood and gore, and a final battle at a volcano. Being about Vikings, the film has no shortage of brutality, bloody battles, and the absolute muck that the era is known for. All this thanks to both the production design that captures the time perfectly and all of the vast locations shown thanks to filming in Northern Ireland and Iceland. Eggers and his cowriter Sjón managed to envision something that's a combination of beautiful and disgusting. Their writing is crafted so precisely and definitely has the type of twists and turns that Shakespeare was also inspired by. Despite following Amleth and his quest, often it shows us that you don't always agree with it and it isn't a black and white story. The battles and fights themselves never feel like they hold back and show just how brutal a society based on fighting and death can be. Casting is superb as alongside Skarsgard and Taylor-Joy, you get just as strong performances from Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Claes Bang. Other aspects that capture the authenticity of the time period are the astounding cinematography from Jarin Blaschke and the subdued score from Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough. All the while Louise Ford's work as editor gives us a well paced movie with no overuse of editing for the fight scenes. Epic is an easy way to describe a lot of films that are long and/or involve large battles and set pieces, but The Northman proves you can have the second without needing the first. Over all: 100%

2022 top list so far:

1. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

2. The Northman

3. The Batman

4. Dog

5. Everything Everywhere All at Once

6. X 2022

7. Scream 2022

8. Uncharted