This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
aidan’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
robert eggers continues to show why he's one of the most fascinating directors working today with the northman. although it's about as straightforward narratively as you could imagine for a revenge tale, the signature style of eggers still translates to this epic scale of storytelling.
even with it being his most accessible, i still found it to be the most immersive of his as well. it's every bit as visceral and mystical that it is brutal and unrelenting, and i thought that this balance really stemmed from the leads too.
with such a ferocious forefront performance being given from alexander skarsgård, along with nicole kidman and her powerful monologue, the northman never let's up in the best way possible.
then there's anya taylor-joy, who's screen presence is never anything short of sheer magic. amidst all the bloodshed, her performance really brought another side to the vengeful saga, particularly in skarsgård's character.
i definitely wasn't expecting romance to be such a factor in why i would love this film, but this balance that their dynamic created was exactly that for me. i only wish there could have been more of it, but you know, priorities (fighting your father's killer in a volcano, nude).
