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At this point, most people are familiar with the play Hamlet even if they never read the source material. Between The Lion King being a fairly straight adaptation of the material and other stories like Strange Brew, Dune, and Last Action Hero featuring key parts of the story as loose inspiration, the story has become a mainstay in pop culture. The Northman is the latest in a long line of straight-forward adaptations, even if the names and setting are changed. Despite being material that everyone knows, the movie still manages to be visually unique and totally different from other adaptations in the past.
The first thing that should be noted is that this movie is incredibly violent. There is a lot of blood and other human viscera all over the movie, however unlike other movies there is not a cringe-factor to the violence. Unlike The Revenant or The Last Duel which settles on a more grounded and realistic take on the physical toll that fighting with knives and swords have on the human body, The Northman takes a more fantasy-inspired approach so the viewer does not have the same negative reaction to disembowelment, multiple stabbings, limbs being cut off, and other acts of heinous violence.
For a performance of a straight-forward story that the audience should almost certainly know as it unfolds in front of them, acting is one of the most important ways a movie can set itself apart from other iterations of the same material. Fortunately, everyone has strong performances, even if they have small roles. Of note, Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke both do a lot with their minimal screen time while Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor-Joy have the acting abilities to carry the film on their own.
The movie also sets itself apart with its unique visual style. Of note, and it is something that is almost never commented on, is the lighting which helps add to the audience’s immersion. The movie is set during the 9th century and, as such, lighting is not a systemic thing as it is today. During night scenes, the only source of light is from fires or the moon and during the day there is natural light that is affected by the weather. This creates a color palette that tends to lean towards grays and blues, however this also lends to opportunities for greens, reds, and other colors to pop in an interesting way. The other thing that is interesting about this is that the lighting feels natural in scenes where fire is the only source of light, but at the same time the scenes are not needlessly dark and hard to watch.
The Northman is one of the best movies of the year so far, if not the best depending on how one feels about Everything Everywhere All At Once. Visually, this movie is stunning and should be seen in the largest screen possible for maximum effect. A viewer can wait until it hits home media, but this movie would not be the same at home as it is in theaters.
Final Rating: 10/10
