So The Northman is fucking awesome. 2 hours of primal, brutal, mystical fun. The direction, cinematography, soundtrack and sound design are absolutely amazing. The performances are also great, especially Skarsgard's physical performance. He truly makes for an imposing and terrifying figure. The story is pretty basic, and the writing might not be as strong as in Eggar's other films, but this one doesn't really focus on dialogue all that much, so you don't exactly miss it. There are some nice flourishes now and then though, that remind you of the director's sharp wit.
I had my reservations coming in though. As a big fan of Eggar's previous work, I wasn't a fan of the trailer, as it had a very mainstream look to it, and hearing about studio interference from the director himself, did nothing to squash my fears. And you can definitely see some elements of that, this might well be his most accessible film.
The overall pace of the film is a bit at odds with Eggar's usually more patient and methodical work; Although this wasn't overall necessarily a bad thing, there were instances where it definitely felt a bit rushed. Clearly, the studio hands at work, demanding the story to move quicker. There were some other scenes (not too many, fortunately) that felt a bit off tonally with the rest of the movie, which was probably part of reshoots; But I don't think any of it ruin it for me, far from it. I think Eggar's overall vision still comes across in waves, even if a bit watered down for mainstream audiences. Definitely recommend watching it in the theatres. It's a sensory feast.
