If you follow my blog to any extent, I arguably do not need to remind you of my passion and interest in all things Medieval and/or Viking. I’ve seen most television and film adaptations of Viking and Norse history, and I definitely have my favourites, but one movie I haven’t gotten around to seeing until recently is The Northman.
When I first saw trailers for this film a while ago, I knew I wanted to see it. It stars Alexander Skarsgârd as Almeth, a young boy and future prince to his family’s kingdom; Ethan Hawke as King Aurvandill War-Raven, Almeth’s father; Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún, Almeth’s mother; and Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga, a witch. The film begins with young Almeth witnessing his father being murdered by his evil uncle and his mother taken captive, and the entirety of the plot focuses on Almeth seeking revenge for his father, rescuing his mother, and murdering his uncle.
Following the death of his father, the young prince flees to escape his own persecution and ends up posing as a Slavic slave in Iceland, where he locates his uncle and mother in his adult years. He meets Olga, a fellow slave, and together, the two of them enact Almeth’s destiny to fulfill his prophecy.
I really wanted to love this movie, but sadly, I did not. I found the plot to be a bit obscure in terms of detail; there is not a lot of dialogue in this film, so it’s a bit tricky to understand what is happening at certain points. It’s also super fucking weird at times, including a scene that depicts Nicole Kidman trying to make a move on her own son for no apparent reason.
Overall, I found the movie to be a bit boring. I feel like Almeth’s character deserves a far more riveting tale, and I did not appreciate the ending, either.
Photo by Gioele Fazzeri on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 