The Northman (David Eggers)

[Ezee E]

LINK

[Ezee E]

Nice to see a director get his big budget feature without it being a franchise.

This is as nightmare-ish as a movie could be without being a horror movie. It's also like a testosterone shot of war screams, didgeridoo music, viking battles, witches, spells, landscapes of hell and ice, and more war screams. Had the pleasure to see it on a Dolby Cinema screen with amped up sound.

[Ivan Drago]

Seeing it again tomorrow in Dolby Cinema. Can't wait!

Here are my thoughts, BTW.

[Morris Schæffer]

An imposing singular vision, I was engaged throughout, but I'm not sure there's enough there to sustain yet another movie pushing 2 hours and 30 minutes.


I was reminded of Braveheart as per this movie's basic outline. And how that 1995 movie was 3 hours long, but is a more sweeping, and emotionally satisfying epic (in no small way thanks to Horner's deeply moving score). At least to me. I can definitely appreciate that The Northman is not Braveheart and further comparisons are thus sorta moot and unfair, but there were times when I felt that this one was a lot of noise, discordant music motifs, screaming and male testosterone set in a fairly drab, monochromatic almost, environment. At 140 minutes, a small part of me was glad I could eventually leave the theater.

[Milky Joe]

Film of the Decade so far

[DFA1979]

This was pretty badass and is probably his best film out of the trio. I wonder what he will do next. Also I'm never voting in the thread polls again, I prefer to let what I post cover it for me.

[Ezee E]

He does ooze Nosferatu, so a bummer that it doesn't seem to be working out. Would be totally fine if he continues to do his own thing, while inputting a touch of horror-mythism to his works. He's become a must see filmmaker at this point.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Far exceeds my acceptable level of testosterone. An ounce of humor would go a long way. And the promise of Anya's "cunning" was not delivered upon. Instead her role is purely... well... spoiler. But I didn't like where it went.

Eggers is must see going forward regardless.

[DFA1979]

I wonder if maybe Anya's role was cut back because of Kidman. She seemed to command just as much screen time or attention imo.

[Pop Trash]

An imposing singular vision, I was engaged throughout, but I'm not sure there's enough there to sustain yet another movie pushing 2 hours and 30 minutes.


I was reminded of Braveheart as per this movie's basic outline. And how that 1995 movie was 3 hours long, but is a more sweeping, and emotionally satisfying epic (in no small way thanks to Horner's deeply moving score). At least to me. I can definitely appreciate that The Northman is not Braveheart and further comparisons are thus sorta moot and unfair, but there were times when I felt that this one was a lot of noise, discordant music motifs, screaming and male testosterone set in a fairly drab, monochromatic almost, environment. At 140 minutes, a small part of me was glad I could eventually leave the theater.

Felt the same way. I liked it quite a bit, but storywise it seems very much in the wheelhouse of Gladiator and Braveheart. Eggers seems like the kind of guy that would scoff at being compared to Mel Gibson and Ridley Scott and -don't ya know- this is totally Tarkovsky and Bergman, dude! (except not really).

[Grouchy]

This was a fantastic spectacle from a director that keeps getting better and more ambitious with each new movie. I agree that the screenplay is not any more complex than the average revenge flick but sometimes mad style is the point and that's ok. I haven't seen Valhalla Rising but this is so far the definitive Norse mythology film for me. Mad props to all the witchcraft scenes (unsurprisingly Eggers's forte) and everything Willem Dafoe says and does. Oh, and Kidman's monologue. I suspect this is exactly the kind of film Gray or Scorsese are yearning for when they speak about the loss of the mid-budget original Hollywoood flick.

[Peng]

Still in the tank for Eggers' faithfully historical and singularly tactile style, and this has it to spare and then some. Simple story (but not simplistic about the revenge path its lead takes) doesn't matter much when told with such visceral, violent, and mythic imagery like this. Biggest drawback is that a story this straightforward really needs someone of traditionally arresting, maybe even classical, screen presence, and I find Skarsgård decidedly not it, which makes this has a bit of hollow center (a younger Bang would have been perfect). Ensemble makes up for it, especially a scene-stealing Kidman. Overall very good, although I still find Eggers' style such a perfect fit for The Witch that his debut still remains my favorite. 7.5/10

[Yxklyx]

... Biggest drawback is that a story this straightforward really needs someone of traditionally arresting, maybe even classical, screen presence, and I find Skarsgård decidedly not it, which makes this has a bit of hollow center (a younger Bang would have been perfect)...

Have not seen this but have seen Valhalla Rising with Mads in the role - did not care much for that one.