THE NORTHMAN

A wonderful viking tale from director Roger Eggers, this film tells the story of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) a savage who takes on a crusade of revenge to honor his slain father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) and to free his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). He's supported by up-and-comer Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga) and veteran Willem Dafoe (Heimir The Fool). Beautiful scenery, a poetic and at times, brutal tale, the film is very enjoyable. I wanted to love it, but wound up only liking it. There's a few battle scenes early on and in the final act but outside of that, the film at times comes to a screeching halt and is troubled by pacing problems. Skarsgård gives a very powerful performance as does Taylor-Joy as his oracle. Themes of religion, magic, and fate are ultimately what this is about. Definitely worth checking out and I am looking forward to viewing this again as this is one film where the audience will pick up more a second time around. 7.5/10