The Northman is one of those movies I appreciated more than I enjoyed watching. Whichever way you cut it, the fact Robert Eggers got a major studio to pony up almost $100 million to create a movie with almost no mainstream appeal is worthy of respect regardless of how much you like the movie itself. This is basically the story of Hamlet, except it's actually the older Norse legend that Shakespeare adapted Hamlet from. Amleth. Hamlet. See the similarity? For an Eggers movie, the plot is remarkably straightforward. The main character's family is betrayed by a relative, and he sets out on a self-destructive mission of revenge. Of course, considering the director there's a whole lot of historical posturing that might be accurate to the period but will be off-putting to any average joe audience. Babs almost bailed when Ethan Hawke was barking on all fours and eating out of a doggy bowl.

When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it doesn't. Either way, I'm glad it exists.