A retelling of the legend of Amleth, itself the inspiration for Hamlet, The Northman is a dour, bloody Norse epic. Witnessing the death of his father at the hands of his uncle, Amleth, stealing away by boat, swears revenge.
Years later, the now adult Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård – The Legend of Tarzan, What Maisie Knew) survives in a barbaric kill or be killed world. But even though his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang – The Square, TV’s Bad Sisters) has lost the throne, no move has been made by Amleth (to be or not to be – anyone? To take revenge or to stay his hand, to ascend to the throne or to languish in obscurity). Eventually, disguised as a slave, Amleth steals away to confront Fjölnir and his mother, Gudrún (Nicole Kidman – The Hours, The Others).
A visual (if dour) feast of an epic, with expansive (Icelandic) vistas, battles galore, blood (and lots of it) spilt, potions, sorcery and general skullduggery. But, directed by Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch), it’s also unexpectedly uninvolving with a ‘who cares’ undercurrent as Amleth confronts Gudrún or finally lops off the head of Fjölnir. And, like Hamlet, it takes a very long time to get there.
Rating: 48%
An Opinion or Two 