New Delhi, May 1 : “The Northman” is a historical revenge epic directed by Robert Eggers set in the cold and dark world of 900 AD Iceland, dealing with Scandinavian culture and Norse mythology. The story is relatively simple and revolves around an exiled prince Amleth who witnesses his uncle Fjölnir kill his father and seize both his father’s throne and his mother, and swears vengeance. The film upon first glance may seem like your standard Viking movie which is the equivalent of modern day PS4 hack and slash game, but “The Northman” is deeper on several levels whether it is emotional or thematic. For one, the fight scenes are done sparingly and while there can be no doubt that the film is an undisputed gore fest, the movie also speaks in more ways than one of the several choices Amleth makes and the journey he undertakes making the audience question just what is right and what is wrong constituting a big moral grey area. Furthermore, while a revenge tale at its crux, the fight scenes are done so brilliantly and sparingly that they carry a strong emotional undertone, like the iconic lightsaber duels in Star Wars — whether it is Duel of the Fates, Battle of the Heroes, Duel on Cloud City or the Duel on Death Star 2 or the battles from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy which more than being cool were emotionally compelling and breathtaking. And while “The Northman” is not quite on the same level, the battle scenes are very close as every scene is emotionally focused. Even further, there are several mystical elements in the movie which work very well to advance the plot forward, and not just the plot but the mysticism here also has a bit of a psychological undercurrent as among Amleth’s visions throughout the film, it is unknown which one is literal and real and which one is a more metaphorical manifestation. The production of “The Northman” is off the charts excellent and the realistic depiction of Viking culture with its authenticity only serves to augment the brilliance of this amazingly crafted cinematic experience. The cinematography, screenplay, visuals and direction are in equal parts brilliant and near flawless with the cast doing an excellent job. Alexander Skarsgard as Amelth with his ‘Berserker’ aura and cool beard really looks like a champion from the halls of Valhalla, and not just him, Anya Taylor Joy is a joy to watch; Claes Bang as Fjölnir is a brilliant antagonist, Nicole Kidman and William Dafoe as usual are a treat and Ethan Hawke for the few scenes that he was in was a delight to witness with some of his scenes being the best ones. Bjork looks like an alien princess and really has the vibe of a seer down to the last syllable. In a time of movies where the majority of films are an outcome resulting in retreaded unimaginative CGI laden superhero popcorn nonsense, “The Northman” serves as a breath of fresh air, for this movie has only one agenda– telling a story and backing it up with authenticity and emotionality rather than any sort of fake social messaging which has become a norm in Hollywood these days. There is no fake feminism, no ultra strong female character unrealistically defeating men ten times her size in an age where women warriors were few, no forced social ethnic diversity and no useless comedy to undercut the serious demeanour of the film. For those wanting a simple action film, well they are in for a huge disappointment because “The Northman” is far more than that. This is a blood splattered glimpse into the world of Vikings and an observatory into a world of anger, hate, revenge, cruelty, barbarism, savagery and moral emotional greyness. This is a film which is not afraid to take risks, not afraid to anger some people, not afraid to hold its weight, not afraid to punch where it hurts, thus truly in every way subverting expectations in a good way and not just doing it for the sake of doing it to be clever. In the end, “The Northman” is a fantastic movie and one of the best films of this year though it is definitely not for everyone; you either love it or hate it, there is no grey area in this film. All in all “The Northman” is a true Viking epic and a Berserker’s fury laced call to the Norse gods beckoning him to fight and dine in the glorious and eternal halls of Valhalla.
