The Northman (2022)

Top comments

1. 

   Siskoid

   There are many sources listed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, a couple of them being Scandinavian in origin, and the closest to the play's events being the legend of Amleth, transmitted to us distorted by a Saxon writer, but allegedly based on an Icelandic poem. Robert Eggers' most straightforward feature, The Northman, tries to show us what that original tale might have been like, reinterpreting Hamlet as a Viking Saga, reverse-engineering the play's key source. Like the play, it is a revenge story, and like the play, its supernatural elements are for the most part ambiguous. Shakespeare's Hamlet isn't invoked - Amleth the Berzerker isn't delaying his action from any kind of psychological trait, he's fated to do so only under certain circumstances. So while knowing the story being told - which I realized pretty early on - does "spoil" the basic plot, its surprises remain in interpretation, some deviating substantially from the play to respect the Saga formula. While not exactly a horror film, it's still Eggers, a master of desaturated cinematography and staged gore. This is in fact a very violent film, but it's so immersive that it feels entirely natural to this well-researched world. Still, I'm sure a lot of people walked out of the theater a little dazed. 1 year 12 months ago
2. 

   baraka92

   Definitely a great spectacle but I can’t help but feel a little bit underwhelmed by how things went in the story.

   This is a tale about a man who seeks revenge and at the end... well, he gets it. Yes, there’s the mother twist but that really didn’t change much about Amleth. Other descendants of this story felt more dynamic: Hamlet had doubts about what to do; Ben-Hur didn’t find satisfaction in revenge; and Simba rejected doing anything about it for quite a while.

   
   
   Not as tight as The VVitch or The Lighthouse but still worth a watch on the big screen. Cinema needs more productions like this. 2 years ago
3. 

   Fastkit

   Incredible experience! Beautiful cinematography, badass action, trippy, and it’s historically accurate. I don’t know what more you can ask for?! 1 year 11 months ago

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