Anyone who was even remotely keen on seeing Robert Eggers’ The Northman will be glad to hear the first reactions are in for the wildly ambitious Viking revenge thriller – and they’re extremely promising.
As many had suspected right from the jump, the lethal combination of:
- A visionary director such as Eggers; who comes off a phenomenal feature-length directorial debut in The Witch and an even greater sophomore effort in The Lighthouse (both produced by indie powerhouse studio A24)
- An all-star cast featuring the likes of Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claes Bang, Bjork, famed Icelandic strongman Hafþór JúlÃus Björnsson
- Plus our modern culture’s renewed fascination with Viking culture…
… has resulted in yet another Shakespearian-inspired future classic. “The best movie of the year so far,” some have pre-emptively claimed, and a tremendously stunning cinematic affair, as per the general consensus among critics.
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The story opens with a young Prince Amleth, who is on the verge of becoming a man when he witnesses the brutal murder of his father King Aurvandill (portrayed by Ethan Hawke) at the hands of his uncle Fjölnir (portrayed by Claes Bang). To make matters worse, Fjölnir decides to kidnap the boy’s mother Queen Gudrún (portrayed by Nicole Kidman).
Two decades later, Amleth(portrayed by Alexander Skarsgard) is now a fully-fledged Viking who raids Slavic villages. He soon meets a seeress who reminds him of the vow he took: save his mother, kill his uncle, avenge his father.
The screenplay has been accomplished by Robert Eggers himself in collaboration with multi-hyphenate talent and frequent creative partner to Bjork, Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (also known as Sjón). The cinematography, on the other hand, has been achieved by Eggers’ own frequent creative partner, Jarin Blaschke, who previously offered his talents for both The Witch and The Lighthouse. Amon Milchan, Lars Knudsen, and Mark Huffman served as producers.
You can experience this one for yourself in cinemas on April 22nd of 2022. Check out some of the glowing first reactions to Robert Eggers’ The Northman + the official trailer below.
