The Northman (2022)

[SeanC]

Quote

From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

In theatres April 22, 2022.

Sort of inspired by the Scandinavian legend that also inspired Hamlet, Robert Eggers leaves older English dialects behind for Dark Ages Iceland, reuniting with Anya Taylor-Joy, whose debut role in The VVitch presaged big things for both of them. He also coaxed Björk to appear onscreen again after she decided she didn't want to do more movies twenty years ago because Lars von Trier was a huge asshole.

[lasu]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:41 PM, SeanC said:

He also coaxed Björk to appear onscreen again after she decided she didn't want to do more movies twenty years ago because Lars von Trier was a huge asshole.

Hell, I'm not over watching[/b] Dancer in the Dark twenty years later.  But I considered her a plus to this movie.

I can't tell if it's going to be really good or really bad.  Seems like it'll be one or the other - not middle of the road.

[Maisiesmom]

I'm hoping it's good-been missing ASkars, especially all beefed up. Yum!

[SeanC]

The most obvious stylistic feature of Robert Eggers' first two films was an approach to period storytelling that emphasized linguistic authenticity to a degree scarcely ever attempted when attempting to depict the past. Whether his characters are 17th century Puritan settlers in rural New England or two borderline-insane lighthouse keepers stuck together on an island in the late 19th century, Eggers and his actors demonstrated a commitment to antique English seldom seen outside of Shakespeare adaptations. The Northman, his 10th century Viking epic, brings into focus that Eggers' period films are united even moreso by their commitment to the belief systems of the characters. This is a film about Vikings that doesn't attempt at any point to romanticize the cultural practices and economic systems of their world, or give the audience an easy point of character identification in the form of a modern-thinking lead. The director has talked in interviews about these belief systems bringing the capacity for the "sublime" for his characters, and it's easy to see how a folklore enthusiast would make this a calling card of his filmmaking.

Purely from a financial perspective I think giving Eggers $65 million to make a film (which ballooned to $90 due to pandemic-related overruns) was always a bad idea, because the modern theatrical environment will be hard-pressed to support a film at this scale that doesn't follow the MCU blockbuster formula, but artistically it's a great success.

[Maisiesmom]

Took this off this afternoon. It was shot very dark, I thought and I had trouble understanding the dialog because the Nordic (?) accents were so strong. All the actors were good, though, and it was pretty bloody and violent, but I imagine that's how it was back then. I do have a question though. At the end, did the prince go to Valhalla? He should have and so should his uncle since they died in battle. I was kind of hoping to see Valhalla since I was a huge fan of the Vikings TV show. Anyway, nice to see Alex again being all buff and fierce.

[tv echo]

I have not watched this movie, but I came across this Vanity Fair interview with Alexander Skarsgård and director Robert Eggers...

The Northman’s Ending, Explained
BY YOHANA DESTA    APRIL 22, 2022
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/04/the-northman-ending-explained 

Edited April 25, 2022 by tv echo

[TiffanyNichelle]

When the movie was over I turned to my friend and said, what the fuck was that? I got the movie  and it looked beautiful but it was not good and I wish I had close captioning because there was a lot of dialogue that I missed. The movie dragged a lot for me.

[SeanC]

On 4/24/2022 at 6:49 PM, Maisiesmom said:

At the end, did the prince go to Valhalla?

Amleth thought so, per when he saw their burial site.

[Tyro49]

This film was mesmerizing, almost surreal. 🐺😲😮