Deathy’s review published on Letterboxd:
Score : 10/10 ✅
How does a movie filled with testosterone and massive dudes screaming at the top of their lungs resonated with me so much? I guess my fragile interior needed something beastly for a change.
But does Robert Eggers' first blockbuster-scale budget movie is satisfying enough to put a perfect score attached to it? Hell yeah.
The amount of hype and expectations were extremely high with this one. The Northman was in my Top 3 most anticipated movie of 2022 due to Eggers’ ability to craft movies in a passionate and hysterical way. Let me just say that even with putting the bar really really high, The Northman not only exceed my expectations, it left me open-mouthed that a movie like this has been made.
Robert Eggers knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making his most rich, visceral and well-crafted movie to date. Every shot matters, every scene is perfectly synchronized to make you feel or make you understand how brutal and ruthless the whole barbaric world works. Going to sounds odd but this is strangely gratifying to watch savage men unleash all their rage and strength on screen for 2 hours, even more, when it's followed by wild rituals, bloody confrontation and an epic finale.
It remains a revenge story at its core but it’s presented with so much violence and mythology symbolism that the project fits in a gray area where it can surprise the mainstream audience (in a good or disgusting way) while delivering something magnificent to those who seek a unique cinematic experience.
The Northman is ultimately an imposing film, it takes inspiration from things that we’ve already seen before by executing them better, I think it was about time to get a Vikings film like this, probably because it captures something menacing and hostile so well.
Everything to me is perfection, the phenomenal cinematography, the outstanding score, every performance from everyone (Alexander Skarsgård was simply incredible, I mean it, seriously) and the production design was remarkable. Extremely satisfied with everything this film had to offer.
Long-life to you Mr. Eggers, as of right now, it’s 3/3 and I can’t wait to see what you do next. You have my absolute trust. 🙏
