YNOT at the Movies

Murder, betrayal, and revenge—a classic tale that captured the imagination of numerous literatures, including "Hamlet." With the astounding Iceland landscape in the backdrop, the director Robert Eggers's exquisitely looking "The Northman" (USA 2022 | 136 min.) tells an epic story with this theme during the Viking Age.

The film is set in the 10th century in the North Atlantic. After King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke) returns home to Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman) and his teenage son, Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak), he takes Amleth to a coming-of-age initiation ritual administered by Heimir the Fool (Willem Dafoe). It seems quite certain that Amleth is going to wear the crown after King Aurvandil.

But soon after, Amleth's uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang) kills King Aurvandil in front of Amleth's eyes, takes the throne, and possesses the Queen. Amleth escapes on a rowing boat, while making his vow: "I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!"

Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) becomes a rugged, long-haired Viking Berserker who brutally plunders villages and acquires slaves. When Amleth encounters a seeress (Björk), she reminds him about his vow.

To keep his vow, Amleth disguises as a slave so he can be shipped to Iceland, where now Fjölnir lives on a farm. With the help from another slave Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), Amleth gets closer to Fjölnir and looks for his revenge opportunity.

The gory violence in the film is strikingly vivid depicting the barbaric nature during the Viking Age, and Alexander Skarsgård is remarkable in portraying an enraged Viking warrior a thousand years ago. The director Robert Eggers gives the film a consistent grim look in the harsh environment in which the characters live, but he also showcases the grand landscape and the volcano eruption that shape these characters' beliefs and culture. The color and music in the film are as impressive as the terrific performances.

Even though the story is on a tragic scale similar to "Hamlet," the film mostly focuses on the development of Amleth's character and leaves little to the rest. It's unfortunate that the film misses the potential to explore deeper on Nicole Kidman's character—Queen Gudrún could have been given more weight in the story and become more compelling like Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter" (1968).

It's such a tragedy that human history is associated with violence and vengeance, which continues today, even after thousands of years.

"The Northman" opens on Friday, April 22, 2022.