The Northman - 8.0./10

Jadd J.A.D.D. Jadd If you go into this thinking this is going to be the next Gladiator or Braveheart. This is the complete opposite of that, it's more like The Revenant and Hamlet expert harsher and more violent. Robert Eggers is one of the most distinctive filmmakers in Hollywood. He relies upon visual storytelling and taking simple stories we've seen before and turning them into more complex. Alexander Skarsgård is great, he gives a harrowing and anger fuelled performance. Anya Taylor-Joy is one of the best upcoming young actresses in Hollywood this movie continues to prove that. The rest of the cast such as Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Björk and Willem Dafoe are all very solid. Nicole Kidman is good but she has one incredible scene where she shows her versatility as an actress. Sebastian Gainsborough and Robin Carolan's score is fresh but also grand and cerebral. It will go down as one of the most epic orchestras to be put on film. The cinematography from Jarin Blaschke is nothing short of breathtaking. It looks unworldly and almost feels like a very painting with a rich tapestry. The movie also pays homage to the history and mythology of Vikings and Iceland, it wouldn't feel like a Robert Eggers without being psychedelic. I'm not going to spoil anything but there is a twist where I saw it coming because there were clues I picked on earlier. But it's still impactful because the acting is great. I praise the movie for not having the generic hero versus villain instead all the characters were terrible people but that's also the downside. I wanted to root for the main character but I couldn't because you see what he does earlier. Therefore I felt very deduced from the characters because they were all unlikable, but it's also true to history so it's a double-edged sword. But honestly, it's refreshing to have unlikeable characters because we are so used to having the simple good guy versus the simple bad guy routine.