The Northman Review – Leave the kids at home.

The Northman Review

Below is The Northman Review. Find out why you should leave your kids at home for this movie.

“I will avenge you, father. I will save you, mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir.” These are the words that young Amleth (Oscar Novak) of The Northman repeats (much like The Princess Bride’s Iñigo Montoya before him).

Get our entire list of The Northman Movie Quotes for more.

Unlike The Princess Bride, The Northman is not a lighthearted movie made for children. In fact, it is a horrific Viking movie imagined by the man who brought us The Witch.

Amleth grows up to become Alexander Skarsgård. And boy, is he angry. So very angry. His childhood mantra becomes the heart and soul of The Northman.

Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth in director Robert Eggers’ Viking epic THE NORTHMAN, a Focus Features release. Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2022 Focus Features, LLC

His main purpose in life is to avenge his father, King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke), save his mother Queen Gudrin (Nicole Kidman*), and kill his uncle (Claes Bang).

Imagine Hamlet in 9th Century Iceland. Along the way, he falls in love with Olga (Anya Taylor-Smith). And he plays lacrosse. And brutally kills a lot of people. The dialog is sparse but the action and killing are plentiful and grotesquely creative. Did I mention that you need to leave the kids at home**?

The Northman is for people who like TV’s Vikings, Conan the Barbarian, Game of Thrones, and Excalibur. The movie also gives nods to other movies such as…

The Princess Bride above, The Godfather, and The Phantom Menace (yes, I said Phantom Menace). You’ll also get a kick out of The Northman if you are a fan of Norse Mythology.

*You are correct if you recall that Kidman and Skarsgård have played an age-appropriate married couple in Big Little Lies (though they play mother and son here).

**Maybe give your kids a super cool book of Norse Mythology to read while you partake of this movie without them.

About The Northman

Focus Features will release THE NORTHMAN in theaters on April 22, 2022

Story:
From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

THE NORTHMAN, a Focus Features release. Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2022 Focus Features LLC

Director/Writer:
Robert Eggers

Co-Writer:
Sjón

Producers:
Lars Knudsen, Mark Huffman, New Regency

Cast:
Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe