Director “Robert Eggers” returns with another highly anticipated film in “The Northman”. The director who debuted with his first film in 2015 “The Witch” may only have a few films to his name however has already set his name in stone as one director to look out for.

“The Northman” though exciting to watch has some of the most brutal and gruesome visuals that may catch some individuals by surprise.

Right off the bat, we are thrown into the cruelty of the days long past when “King Aurvandil” played by (Ethan Hawke) is betrayed by his brother “Fjölnir” played by (Claes Bang) right after performing a ceremonious ritual with his son “Amleth”.

The entire time young Amleth rows his boat to the distant islands I’m getting nothing but “Vinland Saga” vibes. A young boy filled with hatred; who repeatedly swears to avenge his father, save his mother, and kill Fjölnir is very similar to “Thorfinn” who had promised to kill “Askeladd”.

This film however goes deeper into the history of Vikings and black magic than I’ve ever seen. The first scene after “Amleth” played by (Alexander Skarsgard) has grown and attacks a nearby village is the make-or-break moment of the entire movie.

I loved this specific scene because we got to finally see some action and the cinematography was amazing to watch but boy-oh-boy was I not prepared for what was to come after.

Firstly this specific scene was only drawn down by its extremely slow pacing, I mean sure we didn’t need to see every angle of his muscles right? Yet that’s what happened such as a signal for many moments to come, though it’s not all bad.

The next scene when they burnt the villagers alive, women and children that wouldn’t make it as slaves was probably the hardest part to see of the entire film, yet this was accurately done to present how cheap life was during these days.

The problem with this film for me was that it was so slow-paced, especially during the fight scenes. You could see that this was acting and scripted which honestly ruined the tension of every fight.

Now what got me interested was the black magic in the film, I mean wow. What kind of mushrooms are these? And “Olga” played by (Anya Taylor-Joy). 

Anya Taylor-Joy is such a phenomenal actress to watch during this film, and the scene at the end when Amleth leaves the ship is by far my favorite scene of her; it’s as if she were possessed at that moment, my god. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her on the big scene.

I think if you go into “The Northman” expecting anything like “Vikings” in the series; you would be left disappointed. This is nothing like the Vikings series, expectations should be thrown out the window. Go in with an open mind and be prepared for the brutality you are about to witness.

If there is anything I took from this film is beware of witches, not all swords will unsheathe at your will lol…, and even if you have an all-out star cast such as “Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke” doesn’t always mean your film will be amazing.

The cast was amazing without a doubt however the pacing and realistic elements are what kept this film from being great. 

On that note, am I the only one who felt as if I were watching “Lion King” when Amleth and Fjölnir were fighting on an active volcano as if seeing Simba and Scar?

On that note “The Northman” is a film about vengeance, revenge, and betrayal. It’s not for everyone as it is very gruesome in some scenes yet also has its humor here and there.

Thanks for reading…