A young boy who's father is killed sets out to avenge his death as a muscular adult in a mystical ancient land where reality and sorcery intertwine. Sounds like a certain Arnold movie? Nope, its The Northman.
Drawing heavily on Viking history and Norse mythology, this film really is a modern day Conan the Barbarian set in a different universe. Don't get me wrong, its not a bad thing at all, and if you liked Conan, you'll probably like The Northman as well.
I quite liked how the film made good use of bleak landscapes to showcase the harsh life of the Vikings, utilising a lot of monochrome and shadows to bring you into their world. A brooding soundtrack and numerous pagan/Viking rituals intensify things further.
This is in many ways an old school adventure film that shouldn't be looked at as one trying to be too spot on with historical accuracy. It is not necessarily a light hearted one like Indiana Jones, and it does deal with some more serious issues such as revenge, how violence begets violence, and how nobody really wins from more bloodshed.
With a star studded cast.(including big name actors in small roles, watch out for Hafthor Bjornsson, Willem Dafoe), its an interesting film and does a pretty good job at exploring the world of the Vikings, something that Hollywood perhaps hasn't done as much of compared to say the ancient Romans.
7/10.
Drawing heavily on Viking history and Norse mythology, this film really is a modern day Conan the Barbarian set in a different universe. Don't get me wrong, its not a bad thing at all, and if you liked Conan, you'll probably like The Northman as well.
I quite liked how the film made good use of bleak landscapes to showcase the harsh life of the Vikings, utilising a lot of monochrome and shadows to bring you into their world. A brooding soundtrack and numerous pagan/Viking rituals intensify things further.
This is in many ways an old school adventure film that shouldn't be looked at as one trying to be too spot on with historical accuracy. It is not necessarily a light hearted one like Indiana Jones, and it does deal with some more serious issues such as revenge, how violence begets violence, and how nobody really wins from more bloodshed.
With a star studded cast.(including big name actors in small roles, watch out for Hafthor Bjornsson, Willem Dafoe), its an interesting film and does a pretty good job at exploring the world of the Vikings, something that Hollywood perhaps hasn't done as much of compared to say the ancient Romans.
7/10.
