When was the last time we had a genuinely great Viking movie? While you try to remember, the first reactions to director Robert Eggers’ The Northman have arrived to tell you to stop all that because the answer is “right now.” Starring Alexander Skarsgård as a Viking warrior on a brutal and bloody quest for revenge, the first reactions to The Northman have arrived on social media, with many hailing the movie as a “masterpiece.”
Set at the turn of the 10th century in Iceland, The Northman centers on a Viking named Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), who witnesses the murder of his father, King Aurvandil, at the hands of his uncle, Fjolnir. With his mother, Queen Gudrun, now captured, Amleth flees his native land, but not before declaring his revenge on those who have wronged him. How far will the Viking prince go in the name of justice?
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Tracking a wronged hero out for revenge against those who murdered his family is sure to quickly conjure comparisons to Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning epic, Gladiator. And, according to these reactions, it seems that those comparisons are highly appropriate.
Alexander Skarsgård leads The Northman as Amleth, the Viking warrior prince cutting a bloody path towards vengeance, with the actor undergoing a monstrous physical transformation. A transformation that has seemingly led to one of the actor’s most impressive performances.
The Northman is Due for Release Later This Month
Universal Pictures
Audiences do not have to wait too much longer to bask in the blood and chaos of The Northman, with the Viking revenge epic scheduled for release in the United States on April 22, 2022, by Focus Features.
The Northman has amassed a stellar supporting cast alongside Alexander Skarsgård as the leading man, including Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún, Amleth’s mother; Claes Bang as Fjölnir, Amleth’s uncle and Aurvandill’s brother; Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga; Björk as a witch known as the Seeress; Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool; Kate Dickie as Halldora the Pict; Gustav Lindh as Thorir the Proud; and finally, Ethan Hawke as King Aurvandill, Amleth’s father and Fjölnir’s brother.
Directed by Robert Eggers, who is best known for other such hauntingly bizarre cinematic outings as The Witch and The Lighthouse, The Northman has been co-written by Eggers and Sjón and is based on the legend of Amleth. Though, with Eggers at the helm, The Northman is unlikely to be a typical retelling or biopic.
“[Historical accuracy] It’s not important to filmmaking, at all really,” director Robert Eggers said previously regarding his approach to recreating the Viking era for his take on this legendary tale. “And you can make a great period story without being accurate – you know Coppola’s Dracula is one of the best-designed movies in my opinion but it’s not accurate at all. But this is something that I like, for whatever reason. It excites me.”
The Northman is rated R for “strong bloody violence, some sexual content, and nudity.” What more could you want?
